My Heart and My Soul
by mrsmichaelamalfoy
Summary: "Whatever happens happen because it has always happened to happen. . . Do you understand what I'm saying, my dear?" Professor Dumbledore said to Hermione. Hermione/Sirius. Hermione/Severus. Time Travel fic. A story about time and love. Hermione must navigate both and decide which is more important: her heart or her soul.
1. Prologue

Welcome to My Heart and My Soul! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own these character, or this world. I just play with them.

* * *

The first time Severus Snape saw Hermione Granger he realized indeed that it was not his first time seeing her at all. While the girl anxiously awaiting her sorting was younger, with bigger teeth and chestnut hair, he knew it was her. He had nearly given up on time, wondering when he would see her walk through those big, wooden doors, even convincing himself for a few years that she was just some cruel joke being played on his imagination. But alas, here she was, her entrance marking the beginning of the end. He turned to Dumbledore, to see that he was already staring at with him with knowing, twinkling eyes. Severus rolled his eyes and looked away. "_Damn that old man_," he thought to himself. Turning his attention back to the young girl sitting down nervously on the stool, waiting for the hat to touch the hair of her head, he let out the breath he hadn't been aware of holding in. He was not looking forward to being her professor. Just the thought of having to teach that insufferable know-it-all was enough to twist his insides out. As the hat was taking it's time sorting the damned girl, he determined that he must separate the Hermione Granger of the present from the girl he knew in his past. Suddenly, with a loud voice, the Sorting Hat cried out, "Gryffindor," causing Severus to nearly spit out his pumpkin juice. Sputtering, he put his napkin to his mouth to prevent the refreshment from falling through his shocked lips.

"Are you okay, Severus?" Madame Hooch questioned, concerned for the dark professor who never showed any reaction to any child being sorted before.

He growled in annoyance and simply nodded his head, swallowing the cursed drink.

Much later, in his own quarters, deep in the bowels of the castle, he poured himself a glass of firewhiskey. "Well, that was an unexpected turn of events," Severus said to himself. Remembering his reaction in the Great Hall, he sighed in frustrating, taking a seat in his chair by his fireplace. Balancing his glass of whiskey on the wooden armrest, he rubbed his eyes, embarrassed that he had made such a fool of himself. "You should count this as a blessing," he thought to himself, as he realized this was another thing he could use besides the color of her hair to distinguish between the two.

But a ruddy Gryffindor? Really? He shook his head in disapproval before swallowing the contents of his glass in one gulp.

Severus Snape was in for a hell of a few years.

* * *

Did that insolent twit of a girl seriously expect him to believe that she truly thought herself strong enough to take on a troll alone? Skeptically, he glared at the child in front of him. Her face wasn't giving anything away, but her eyes, oh her eyes, were telling him all he needed to know. Miss Hermione Granger was an incredible actress, but he knew those eyes. He knew her, probably better than anyone in that wretched bathroom did. The tick of her eyes to Potter and Weasley told Severus that it was their fault she was in the bathroom, presumably crying, in the first place. No matter, if she wanted to take the fall for those two idiots, let her. She was just a bloody Gryffindor after all.

* * *

Curse the gods! Severus Snape had no idea she could be this reckless. She had always been the voice of reason; the calm in the storm. And what does she go and do? She goes and gets herself nearly killed by a live chess set, trespassing in a part of the castle she had no business being in. Hopefully, next year would be better.

* * *

That Chamber of Secrets has been opened? Enemies of the heir, beware? "Buggering hell," Severus said aloud, "I need a drink."

* * *

"So let me get this straight. She stole from my personal inventory, made a potion well above her grade level, and then proceeded to use cat hair, believing it to be human hair, finally drinking the potion herself?" Severus questioned Madam Pompfrey, staring down at the cat-girl hybrid sleeping soundly in front of him.

She gravely nodded her reply.

Severus let out a chuckle, ignoring the hospital matron's quizzical look. Rapidly, his chuckle turned into full on laughter; he could not help the laughter rumbling out of his chest, and the tears running out of his eyes.

For all her talent, Miss Granger was an idiot.

* * *

When Severus Snape heard that Hermione Granger had been petrified, he was sure his heart had stopped beating. How could one girl be so prone to life threatening situations? He had to ignore all of the questioning glances he had been getting from the staff recently. Logically, he knew Madam Pompfrey and Professor Sprout were more than capable to make the solution themselves, but he did not care. It did not matter it would take longer for her to get her dose, he was making it himself. Blast it all to hell.

Not only did he insist on making her solution, he also insured he would be the one to administer it as well. "My best friend and closest confidant lying here a thirteen year old girl, and I sitting here, a thirty-two year old man," he muttered to himself, as he sat waiting for signs of life to take hold of the girl. "How ridiculous."

* * *

As she showed the first signs of breath, he left her swiftly. She was strong, and he knew she would survive. After all, there were still people she hadn't met yet.

* * *

A time turner? What adult in their right mind would give a bloody young teenager a time turner, no matter how smart and responsible she is? As Severus Snape stared in the flames of the fire before him, he suddenly realized what this meant. "So that hadn't been the first time you traveled through time, Miss Granger?" he said to himself. How remarkable. It was almost as if time herself had marked her.

* * *

"Turn to page three-hundred-and-ninety-four," Severus said, as he bore into Hermione Grangers eyes as if to say: "Come on, little miss know-it-all. Don't make me spell this out for you."

* * *

"El?" he heard Sirius Black question quietly. Peering into the room, he had to hold himself back. That dirty mutt had no business being near _her_. It was a matter that Severus found himself contemplating often. If she knew he would play the role of Judas, how could she have ever been with him? No matter, she always seemed to have a reason for everything.

"Sirius, that is Hermione," Remus said with a pointed look toward the malnourished man-child.

"But her eyes," Sirius said, taking a timid step towards the scared fourteen year old.

Severus felt his blood run cold. He gripped his wand tightly, determined to keep the horrid dog from harming her. He took a breath, and stepped into the room.

* * *

Severus Snape came to slowly. "What the hell just happened?" He thought, taking in his surroundings. "Damn that Harry Potter! Where did he take Miss Granger? I swear I am going to kill him."

* * *

Severus Snape felt her hand grip his shoulder as he stood as a barrier between the golden trio and the werewolf-who-couldn't-bloody-remember-to-take-his-potion. He would never admit it aloud, but he was afraid. He could feel the fear radiating off of the teenaged girl, and it unsettled him. She, who seemed to have no fear, clinged to him as if her life depended on it. Only once had that happened before. But this was simply not the place or time to think on such things, so he did the best to not dwell on the familiar heat pressing into his shoulder. He watched as Potter broke free to run after the two mangy mutts. Though afraid for her own life, Hermione had went to run to the aid of her idiot friend. Quickly, Severus latched onto her, pulling her back into him.

"No, Hermione," Severus said, though he nearly kicked himself in the ass for calling her that. Since when had she become Hermione to him? That wasn't even _her _name. She turned her head as if not to look at the scene in front of her, and began to cry. "Oh bloody hell," Severus muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes. He pulled her into his chest and gently placed a hand on the back of her horrid hair. "Please stop crying," he said awkwardly, shrugging at Mr. Wealsey's odd look on his face.

* * *

Hermione Granger used her time turner to save that blasted Hippogriff and scum bag Sirius Black. Of course she would. She always had a soft spot for animals.

* * *

It came as no surprise to Severus Snape when Harry Potter's name flew out of the Goblet. "Eternal glory? How could Mr. Potter possibly stay away from that?" he said sarcastically to no one in particular.

* * *

Ah, a Yule Ball. What a nightmare. Severus sneered when he saw her dancing with Victor Krum. The brightest witch of her age had terrible taste in men.

* * *

Severus shook his head. "Hermione Granger in the Black Lake, surrounded by Merpeople? I swear, if that dunderhead quidditch player doesn't come out of there with her in an hour, I am not jumping in there myself," he muttered. But really, he was just lying to himself. He would jump in a heartbeat if she was danger. He could he not? It was _her_.

* * *

He hissed violently at the burning in his arm, as he watched Potter clutch Cedric Diggory's dead body. With a nod to Dumbledore, he went to collect his robes. It was time; his master was calling.

* * *

Severus Snape saw Hermione Granger a few times that summer. With each passing day she looked more and more like her. He did his best to ignore the mutt, who did his best to make up excuses to be near her. But really, who could blame him? Severus couldn't help but feel a weed of bitterness sprouting up from his chest. Sirius got to spend so much time with her. It was no matter, the mutt might have had her heart, but he had _her _soul.

* * *

"She chose me, Snivellus. She always chose me," Sirius said viciously, holding his wand tightly, after cornering Severus Snape in the entrance hall of headquarters.

"Obviously," Severus said, frustration boiling inside him.

Sirius relaxed his grip on his wand. "It's almost time. She'll be leaving soon. Just a few years from now."

Severus couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the broken man in front of him. Awkwardly, he shuffled pass the mutt. "Yes," he stated simply. He placed his hand on the door knob, and then hesitated.

"Do you think –" Sirius paused. "Do you think she. . . Oh forget it."

Severus sighed and turned around. "She loved you. She does." Swallowing down the urge to vomit from the look of pure hopefulness on the man in front of him, he sneered at him before turning to leave.

* * *

"He's got Padfoot at the place where it is hidden," said Potter. Bloody hell, could he have been any more subtle? Severus looked to Hermione, trying to tell her to stay put. But why would she listen? She hadn't even met him yet. Not really. Ah, time. . . What a fickle bitch.

* * *

He stared down at her barely functioning body. Why did the mutt have to go and get himself killed? No wonder she was so distraught the day she left to return. She knew he was already gone. Severus resolved to stay with her until she awoke. Hard-ass-deatheater-reputation be damned.

* * *

Severus Snape didn't have much time to think about Hermione Granger that following year with both his Masters asking far too much of him. But he would be damned if he allowed her to get hurt. He knew she would be pissed, but oh well. At least the lock should hold for a while. But now, it was time to go kill Dumbledore.

* * *

Stealing a dragon? After breaking into Gringotts? Could she have been any more of a bloody Gryffindor?

* * *

Severus Snape was nervous, despite keeping the solid, cold mask of a Deatheater firmly on his face. The Dark Lord claimed that this battle was going to be the end. But how could that be so if she hadn't even left yet? She had said she didn't know who would win. Surely, this could not be the end; unless, this was it. Was Hermione Granger running around somewhere with a time-turner around her neck, battling Deatheaters, just waiting to be hit with that fateful curse. Was she to be sent back to the beginning, to where it all started, at the end? It was possible. Granted, it was rather dramatic, but fate usually always was. He tried not to worry about the logistics. Hermione Granger would go back, simply because she has always gone back.

* * *

The snake. She had said something about the snake. But what? Severus couldn't seem to remember. All he felt was a numbing cold, spreading all throughout his body, running through his veins. And then she was there. She was standing there but no, she wasn't. It wasn't _her_, not yet anyway. He felt tears run down his face because God, he just wanted it to be _her_.

Severus shivered. "Take them. Please."

"Hermione, a vial," he heard Potter say.

No, no not Hermione. Please. He just wanted _her_.

He felt the warm glass touch his face, and he was in agony. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. She didn't deserve to lose them both.

She had made him promise. She made him promise that he would live – that he would survive. She made him promise to fight like hell. How could she have done that to him? Why would she make him promise something he could not keep? It wasn't fair.

She said something about the snake.

Surely, he must have been ice by now, frozen solid. Of course, he would die as ice when she burnt like fire.

"Do it for Lily," she had told him. She made him swear he would do it for Lily. And so he did. He did it for Lily, but he would have done it for her too.

Severus took a shallow breath, and his lungs burned. "Look at me," he said.

And so she did.

And everything went black.


	2. Chapter One

Hello, hello! Lovely to see you all again! I was so happy to see so many follow my new story. Well, I said I'd see you on Tuesday, and here I am! I hope you all enjoy, and please tell me in a review how you guys liked chapter one of My Heart and My Soul!

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I just play with them!

* * *

_May 2__nd__, 1998; Battle of Hogwarts; Great Hall. _

Hermione Granger was drenched in sweat, covered with blood, and caked in mud. She was sure she was barely recognizable, but that didn't stop the Death Eaters from throwing curse after curse at her. This was it. Neville had killed the snake, Harry was still alive, and only the most loyal and insane Death Eaters were still left. Those that remained fought with a holy vengeance, like there was nothing left to lose. Harry was dueling Voldemort, surrounded by multiple other pairs of two's and three's fighting for their lives. But then when Harry spoke, there was mutual, guarded silence from both sides. No one lowered their wands or loosened their grips, eyes still locked with their opponents.

Hermione's golden brown eyes were locked with Bellatrix Lestrange's wild eyes, black as night. As Harry told everyone of Snape's true allegiance, Bellatrix let out a knowing, unsettling cackle. And then the fighting resumed. Curse after dangerous curse, Avada after Avada, there was no denying it; the crazed woman was out for Hermione's muddy blood, determined to finish what she started at Malfoy Manor.

Hermione found herself having to throw herself out of the way of an unspoken curse Bellatrix threw at her. Hermione tucked her shoulder in, and rolled to her feet before yelling an expelliarmus that Bellatrix easily flicked away. She realized that she was severely unmatched, even with Ginny Weasley jumping in to join the duel. Bellatrix practically ignored the fierce redhead, quickly throwing up shields to block all of her curses, determined to take Hermione down.

"I know who you are, Helena," Bellatrix said to Hermione, causing the young witch to jerk her wand hand back in hesitation at hearing her mother's name spoken from the crazy witch. In her moment of hesitation, Bellatrix had quickly disarmed her.

Lit with a fire, believing that Bellatrix knew where her mother was hiding in Australia, Hermione ran towards Bellatrix, determined to knock her off her feet and get her wand back. "That's not my name," she said, throwing her fist back quickly before connecting it to Bellatrix's nose, causing her to shriek as she fell backwards. Hermione didn't hesitate, knowing that most witches and wizards wouldn't be prepared for hand to hand combat, she pounced on Bellatrix, grabbing her knotty, curly hair in her hands and slammed her head onto the blood soaked floor of the Great Hall. As Bellatrix clung to her wand, Hermione attempted to wrestle it out of her clenched fists. Bellatrix was growling, baring her teeth as an animal, trying to sink her teeth into Hermione's skin. Hermione reared back to punch her in her mouth, but as her fist collided with Bellatrix's mouth, she bit down onto her closed hand, clenching her teeth into the skin of her fist. Hermione quickly pulled her hand out of her mouth, noticing that she had two of Bellatrix's teeth embedded into her fingers, nearly all the way down to her bone. Hermione's hesitation caused Bellatrix to flip her over onto her back, allowing Bellatrix to straddle her hips. With all the force she could muster, Hermione threw her head into Bellatrix's face, but before her head could connect back with the floor below her, Bellatrix grabbed the back of her head and held her in place. Hermione could smell Bellatrix's rotten breath and shuttered; why wasn't there dentist in the magical world?

"Enough, Helena," Bellatrix breathed out, "you will never go back; I'll make sure of it."

Hermione tried to wrestle herself out of Bellatrix's grip, but was incapable of doing so.

The tip of Bellatrix's wand came in contact with the time-turner on Hermione's chest. "Avada Kedavra," she whispered. But the outcome wasn't what Bellatrix had expected. Shards of glass came spewing up at her, and an unknown force knocked her off of Hermione. Hermione was screaming in pain, as the sand from the time-turned flew all around her. A golden light came from her abdomen, and she felt a heavy pull, that while much more intense, felt like the familiar pull she felt all throughout her third year at Hogwarts.

In the distance, Hermione could hear Bellatrix scream a horrified "No!" The witch reached for Hermione, attempting to keep her in place, or rather, in _time_. But before her hand could reach Hermione's own hand, Hermione felt herself getting sucked up into a deafening darkness; the only sound she could hear were her own screams, as pain worse than the cruciatus wracked through her body. Finally, the suction of time released her, and she felt herself falling, screams still forcing their way out of her throat. She landed with a thud, her head hitting the hard, cold floor of the Great Hall, knocking herself unconscious.

And so, she slept.

* * *

_September 1__st__, 1977; Hogwarts, Great Hall; 4 AM._

Albus Dumbledore awoke suddenly that night, as panic seized his chest; somebody was in Hogwarts, unannounced and uninvited. He quickly reached over to his bedside table and gripped firmly the unbeatable wand. Stepping into his slippers, he made quick of his descent from his private quarters to his office. A strange spark leaped in his heart, signaling that whoever was there was unconscious. "Curious. Very curious," he thought to himself. With a wave of his hand, the gargoyle guarding the entrance to his office gave way, twirling about to reveal the hidden staircase. He took each step with a fierce pace, tightening his grip on his wand defensively. It was unreasonable to believe that he, who had the unbeatable wand, could not take care of an unconscious intruder, but still, it was always best to be prepared. As he turned the corner to enter into the corridor, he was met with none other than Argus Filch.

"Headmaster!" he said urgently.

"Yes, Mr. Filch. I know already. Have you seen the intruder?" Albus questioned, the words quickly coming out of his mouth.

"The Great Hall, Headmaster," he replied.

However, before he could even finish his sentence, the headmaster was once again off, rushing to the Great Hall in such a pace that could have been called running, but looked nothing like it. When Albus had reached the Great Hall, he stopped. His eyes widened as he beheld the sight before him. He was unsure if the poor girl was even breathing as he took a guarded step towards her. He felt himself let out a sigh of relief when he saw the slight, shallow rise and fall of her chest as he got closer. Gingerly, he got down on his knees beside the girl and slid the hair across her face so he could get a closer look. The young girl reeked of body odor, blood and urine, and mud seemed to have formed a second layer of skin. There was a thin layer of fresh blood forming a halo around her head, coating the stone floor about her. Wherever the girl had come from, she looked like she had gone through hell. Still, Albus couldn't have been too sure. After all, students were supposed to be arriving later that afternoon, and he doubted the girl would be awake by then. Performing a few quick diagnostic spells to see if she had any traces of dark magic on her, he was appalled to see that while there was no artifacts of dark magic on her, she had dark magic inside of her. A faint glow surrounded her body, presumably from the cruicatus curse, if the slight tick of her facial muscles were any indication. But that wasn't what truly bothered the older wizard. A bright hue was coming from her forearm, and an even brighter light was coming from her chest. Biting back the feeling of indecency, he unbuttoned the top few buttons of her shirt, revealing a most gruesome looking scar from a presumably horribly dark curse. Next, he pushed the sleeve of her shirt up, casting a quick scourgify to the shown skin; he gasped in horror. Who could have ever marred a child's skin with such a nasty word? Whatever this girl had encountered had surely been horrific.

Albus Dumbledore had quickly made up his mind upon seeing the slur.

Afraid to move her body in such a delicate state, he sent his patronus to wake up Madame Pompfrey.

* * *

_September 4__th__, 1977; The Infirmary, Hogwarts; 2 AM. _

Hermione woke up from the deepest and darkest sleep she had ever had, slowly and quietly; still groggy and achy, she timidly opened her eyes, eyelashes fluttering as she tried to accommodate her eyesight from the dull lighting around her. It appeared as if she was in the infirmary at Hogwarts, but how that could be, she did not know. The last she remembered that part of the castle had been destroyed in the battle. . . Oh wait! The Battle! Visions from that night played about her head: Ron and her kissing; Snape dying; Harry dying; heartbreak; Neville killing the snake; Harry being alive; dueling with Bellatrix; Snape being good; dueling with Bellatrix some more; and then, unbearable, indescribable pain. In a sudden panic, she grasped at her neck, finding her chest to be absent of her time-turner. The pain, the familiar pull in her stomach, and then falling, falling, falling, until she hit the ground. Her heart beat faster and faster, as her remarkable brain began to fill in the gaps of the unknown. Her rapid heartbeat must have triggered in alarm, because a younger Albus Dumbledore was quickly at her side. Her anxiety attack was causing her vision to be spotty, and her blood to feel like fire.

"Professor," she managed to breathe out, "when am I?" she questioned, before her head dropped and she was surrounded by darkness once again.

* * *

_September 5__th__, 1977; The Infirmary, Hogwarts; 3 PM. _

The next time Hermione Granger awoke she was greeted by the familiar faces of Albus Dumbledore, Madame Pompfrey, and Minerva McGonagall. Albeit, all of them looked slightly off – younger, with less wrinkles and grey hair. Well except for Professor Dumbledore, he still had a head full of grey, though much shorter, hair.

"Ah, I see my niece has finally managed to wake up," Professor Dumbledore said.

Hermione thought that perhaps her fall had affected her hearing. "Niece?" she thought to herself. "Since when was I his niece?"

"Well that is all good and fine, Albus. But you have yet to tell us where she has come from," Professor McGonagall said.

"Well, I could hardly know when she has been asleep for all this time," Professor Dumbledore said brightly. "It's no matter! Now that she is awake, I am sure she will be more than happy to talk with her dear Uncle Albus, and explain how she came to be at Hogwarts in such a condition that she was found in. Isn't that right dear girl?"

Hermione looked up at her longtime Professor and Headmaster to see a familiar twinkle in his blue eyes. "Yes, uncle," she said unsurely. Her brain was going over all the possible, believable stories she could come up with on such short notice when she saw the waiting look in her former head of house's eyes. "Well, you see –" she began.

"Ah, no need, my dear niece. I do want to hear your story, but perhaps we should let you rest for a while longer, yes?" Professor Dumbledore said with a questioning look to Madame Pompfrey.

"Yes, your niece needs her rest. I am sure she will be ready to be released in just a matter of a few days," Madame Pompfrey confirmed.

Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands together happily. "Splendid!"

"Excuse me, Uncle," Hermione said shyly, "would you happen to be able to tell me what the date is?"

"Well yes, I presume you wouldn't know what date it is, dear one," Professor Dumbledore said. Hermione could have sworn he had quickly winked at her too. "September 5th, 1977."

Hermione felt faint, as the world started to spin about her. "Oh," was all she could muster before succumbing to another deep sleep.

* * *

_September 7__th__, 1977; Headmasters Office, Hogwarts; 4 PM._

Hermione found herself feeling rather uncomfortable as Albus Dumbledore stared at her with friendly eyes. Feeling a bit awkward, she shifted in her seat, softly hissing when she felt a pang of soreness still in her legs.

"How are you feeling?" Professor Dumbledore questioned.

"As well as I can be, Professor," Hermione responded.

"I can't help but notice that you refer to me as Professor. Was I your professor at some point in time?" he said pointedly.

"No, not my Professor." Hermione paused and cleared her throat. "My headmaster."

"Ah, well isn't that curious? Especially since I do not recall you as a student, er – what did you say your name was again?" Professor Dumbledore said, in an attempt to seem bashful.

"I never did, Professor."

"Yes, you're quite right. And perhaps you shouldn't."

Hermione gulped. "Yes, Professor. I believe that would be a wise choice."

"Well then, tell me what you think that I can know, dear one." Albus Dumbledore requested, though it sounded more like a gentle command to Hermione.

"There was a war, Professor," she quietly, unsure of what she should or shouldn't say.

"A war? Is it much like the one we are in now?" he questioned.

"Yes, Professor. Very," she said firmly, hoping that he would understand what she was trying to say.

"I presume, and please tell me if I am wrong, you a referring to a war that is being raged by a Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes, Professor," she confirmed. For the briefest of moments she could have sworn the twinkle in his eye vanished; however, as quickly as it had gone, it had come back.

"Interesting. Please don't mistake my question as too prying, dear one. But you simply can't help an old man from wondering. How much longer does this war continue?"

Hermione nervously picked at the lose wool of her jumper. "Well, er – there is a bit of a break. But it's been over twenty years, Professor."

"Most intriguing," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Dear one, I must implore you to not say another word. Even I am not above the temptations of knowing the future," he said, leaning into his desk, as if he was telling a secret.

"Erm, well about that, Professor. How can I saw with certainty that I do know the future? Couldn't my presence here – well, change the very future that I know?" Hermione questioned, finding herself most afraid of the answer.

Professor Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah, you are very smart, but also very wrong." He paused thoughtfully, bringing his hands to rest below his mouth. "You mustn't think of time as a line, dear one. I can understand why you would, as often times time is described by a timeline, is it not? That word is very misleading, yet accurate all the same. What happens happen because it always has happened to happen. So, is time a timeline in the sense that it is preserved and set? Yes, I dare say it is. But it does not mean that time occurs in a linear approach for all people."

Hermione could feel the gears in her head turning, quickly making sense of what Professor Dumbledore had said. "So, and please correct me if I am wrong, I went back because I always have gone back?" she said, afraid that she was failing to comprehend what he had just told her.

"Precisely." Professor Dumbledore leaned back in his chair before jumping up from it rather quickly, startling Hermione nearly out of her own chair. He let out a chuckle as she took a calming breath. "I am sorry, dear one. I only just realized it was almost dinner, and we have a story to fabricate, do we not?"

"Yes, I suppose we do," she said as he leaned his bottom onto his desk casually. "You already told Professor McGonagall and Madame Pompfrey that I was your niece," she said, trailing off.

"Yes, please excuse my quick thinking. I had a hunch that you were a bit – well shall we say different, judging by your clothes, and claimed you rather suddenly as my own family. I hope I did not overstep?"

"No, Professor, you did not. However, I was unware that Aberforth had any children that could have parented me, and well I was under the impression Ariana died quiet young," Hermione said quietly, ashamed to have even mentioned such a grievous memory to her Professor.

Sadness flashed across Professor Dumbledore's face before recovering quickly. "Yes, you would be quite right." Uncomfortable, he cleared his throat. "It is as you say; however, my father was known to well – shall I say in polite company, plant his seed in other places than the family vineyard. One such lady was lovely woman from France, a half-blood widowed after the death of her muggle husband. It is wildly known that after falling pregnant, she returned to France, only to be shunned by her conservative family for conceiving out of wedlock. During Grindelwald's, I'm sure you have heard of him, height of reign, every single blood relative of mine had become a target, even distant ones. I found her before he did and sent her to America, hiding her in a magical native tribe closely related to the Cheyenne tribe in Oklahoma, whose chief was a good friend of mine. It is to my understanding that her son, Gabriel Dumbledore, married a lovely native woman with curly hair much like your own. They have many children, and, please excuse my haste, I had sent them a letter the night that you came here. They have agreed to claim you as their own, in gratitude for the protection of his mother all those years ago. Customarily, to celebrate both heritages, each of their children have their given name, which is derived from a language in the Algonquian family, and an English name as well. I took the liberty of sending them a picture of you after you had been cleaned and healed, and they have requested your given name be Mamakiaeh, which is to say, curly hair; however, they have said you may pick your English name as you see fit."

Hermione sat in stunned silence. She wasn't sure what was more unsettling; the fact that he had taken a photo of her while she was asleep, or that she had spent the summer after her sixth year studying the magical tribes of North America, and was already quite familiar with the tribe Dumbledore was speaking of, and even taught herself a bit of the language, in hopes of one day traveling to America to see the magical tribes for herself. "Well, Professor, it seems that fate would have it so. I spent a summer not too long ago studying the magical tribes of North America, and do believe that I already know quite a bit of the tribe you speak of, as well as a little of their language. I am in no means an expert in their culture, but I believe I might know enough to pass around people who do not know very much of them." Hermione hesitated for a moment, remembering what Bellatrix had called her and said to her at the Battle of Hogwarts. "Helena, Professor. I believe my English name should be Helena."

"Most intriguing, indeed, that you should have found yourself studying the tribes prior to landing in this time," Professor Dumbledore said quizzically. "Well, now that that has been sorted, there are only a few things left to do before sorting you tonight at dinner."

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What else needed to be done besides establish a cover story?

"However, I mustn't get ahead of myself. First things first. Let's talk about your appearance, yes? That is to say, your physical appearance. My father had striking blonde hair, as did his paramour. As such, Gabriel had inherited the blonde hair as well; however, seeing as he married a native woman, whose dark hair is, as you surely know, genetically dominant, all their children have had her same hair. Tell me, Mamakiaeh Helena Dumbledore, are you opposed to a permanent hair color charm?"


	3. Chapter Two

Happy Friday, everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I just like to play with the characters.

* * *

_September 7__th__, 1977; Second Floor Girls' Lavatory, Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom; 6 PM._

Helena Dumbledore, that is to say Hermione Granger, had requested a few quiet moments stolen away in the girls' lavatory to calm her rapidly beating heart. To say that she was nervous was an understatement. She was _terrified_. She looked in the mirror and couldn't help but feel like an entirely different person. Tonight, she would go to dinner in the Great Hall, seated next to Professor – no not professor, Uncle Albus. She was to be sorted at the end of dinner, but wouldn't start attending classes until that Friday, as her parents Gabriel and Chameli Dumbledore were arranged to travel to the castle via international portkey to see that she was settled into the school safely. Of course, that was just the cover story; in reality, they were coming to perform an ancient blood rite to formally connect Hermione with their family and tribe. Come tomorrow evening, Hermione Granger would officially become Mamakiaeh Helena Dumbledore. The matter of her appearance and accent were already taken care by complicated charms and transfiguration spells. For the most part, she still looked like herself. Thanks to spending the past year on the run and mostly outside camping, her skin had already turned into a natural looking, glowing tan. Uncle Albus, using a powerful permanent sticking charm, insured that the tan would stay kissing her skin, never fading. A NEWT level hair growing charm left her with hair touching her tailbone, with a few longer curls coming to the middle of her bottom. The length of her hair reminded herself a lot of Luna's long blonde hair. She smiled sadly at the memory of the whimsical and airy witch. Hermione slowly twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. The starkest difference that she believed would take a while for her to get used to, even more than the American accent she now had thanks to an advanced permanent vocal chords transfiguration spell, was the black hair. Somehow, it looked even darker than Bellatrix's or Professor Snape's own locks. As a single tear fell off her face and onto her jumper, she realized she was crying. She looked down at the unfamiliar wand in her hand that Professor Dumbledore had given her. It was a wand made by Shikoba Wolfe, a wandmaker in North America who was of Chotaw descent. The wand was beautiful. It was made out of Maple wood, with intricately carved maple leaves up and down the surface. The core was a Thunderbird feather. Dumbledore had her try out the wand because he had received it as a gift from Wolfe herself during his travels in America a few decades back. Wolfe had given it to him, telling him that it was made specifically for a traveler who was on a great adventure, and Dumbledore believed she fit that description perfectly. It had worked fairly well for her inside his office, but she was sure it would take a bit of persuasion on her side to master the wand. Hermione tried out a charm that she saw often used in her dorm room by Lavender and Pavarti, casting a temporary spell to change her black hair to the nearly platinum hair of her friend's Luna hair. The sound of her tears alerted Moaning Myrtle of her presence, and before Hermione realized it, her and Myrtle were having a full on cry with each other. She was so caught up in her own misery she nearly slipped on wet floor when somebody came storming into the bathroom.

To say Hermione was in shock would be an understatement. She was _petrified_. Standing in front of her was none other than Professor Snape's younger self, his hair cut nearly all the way to his scalp, clutching in his hands what she could only presume was his own locks. The look of fury on his face was similar yet different. Less refined, but somehow still as intense.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" he grit out, fists tightening around the hair in his hands. With a flick of his wand, the floor was dry.

She coughed uncomfortably, forcing herself to pause before giving her answer as she felt Hermione getting ready to come out of her mouth. "Helena. Helena Dumbledore," she stuttered.

"I thought you were supposed to be native?" He questioned, gesturing at her hair.

Confused for a moment, she looked down to see what he was pointing to. Instantly, she felt heat flood her cheeks, her face burning with embarrassment. "Oh, I am sorry," she said quietly, swirling her wand above her head, quietly repeating the necessary enchantment; quickly, the blonde gave way to the darkness, the black settling in from her roots to the very tips of her hair. "You'll have to excuse me. I was throwing myself quite the pity party. My father and grandmother are blonde, and you see, I miss them quite terribly." She looked down at her feet shyly. "It's my first time being away from home," she said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. If there was one thing she knew for certain, Professor Snape, even as a teenager, was not dumb. Glancing up at him, she wasn't sure who looked more uncomfortable: herself or him.

He shuffled awkwardly on his feet before clearing his throat. "Uh, right. . ." he trailed off. He cleared his throat for a second time, even louder than before, surely attempting to take control of the situation. "Well, that is only to be expected. I am sure you will grow accustomed to the distance soon, Miss Dumbledore," he said, trying to sound sure of himself.

Hearing herself being referred to as a Dumbledore caused Hermione to grow even more uncomfortable, surprisingly, because she wasn't sure how that could have been possible. Unable to control herself, tears started to fall once more. Just over a week ago, she had to watch this man take his last breaths, and yet, here he stood in front of, alive as ever. She wondered if she was strong enough to go through with this. Perhaps, she could even convince her adopted parents to take her back to America with them, and she could wait out her time here there. She shook her head quickly, dismissing such foolish thoughts. Time had sent her back here because she must be here. Surely it wouldn't have done so if it did not believe her capable enough.

As for Severus Snape, he was staring at her as if she was wild animal on the loose. He held himself in a manner that screamed confidence, but the slight tick of his upper lip suggested otherwise. It was obvious to Hermione that he was at a complete loss on how to handle a crying woman. "Did I – did I say something wrong?" he said uncertainly.

Hermione let out an amused chuckle before lifting her hands to wipe her face of her tears.

"Wait," he commanded, procuring a handkerchief from his robe pocket, ever the Slytherin gentleman. He held it out to her welcomingly.

"Thank you," she sniffed. Gently, albeit awkwardly, she wiped the tears off her face and blew her nose. She held it back out for him silently, but was met by an amused look.

He placed his hand, the one not currently holding onto his own severed hair, on top of her outstretched one. "Keep it," he said with a smirk.

Hermione nodded her thanks before looking up to his near bald head, and down to the hair he was clenching in his fist. "What happened?"

His expression turned dark the moment her question fell from her lips. "Nothing of your concern," he said harshly.

Visibly, she reeled back. For a moment, Hermione had forgotten that she was talking to one of the cruelest men she had ever known. Severus Snape was cold and unforgiving. She made a mental note to not forget that again in the future, or rather, past. With a quick wave of his wand, he muttered the incantation to reverse the curse that was used to chop off his long hair. While he had yet to admit to who had done such a thing to him, Hermione was certain she didn't have to be told to know who had done it: James Potter, and quite possibly, Sirius Black. She found it unbelievable to think that Remus was around for the cruel prank, and even if Peter was there, she doubted he was the one to cast the curse, or come up with the idea to do so. Realizing he was looking at her expectedly, as if waiting for her reply, she muttered a near silent, "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."

"I said, would like for me to escort you to the Great Hall for dinner, or would like to continue your pity party, Miss Dumbledore?" he questioned, not necessarily in a harsh tone, rather coming off as bored of their current conversation. Hermione pursed her lips at being referred to as Miss Dumbledore again. It was unsettling, and felt rather foreign. Seeing the look on her face, Severus raised his eyebrows at her. "You're not getting ready to cry again, are you?"

"No, I'm not," she said, then paused. "What did you say your name was?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Please excuse my ill manners. My name is Severus Snape. It is a pleasure to become acquainted with you, Miss Dumbledore," he said with perfect manners, holding out his hand for her to shake.

At the contact of their flesh, their magic connected, causing both of them to pull away quickly from the shock.

Hermione was the first to clear her throat. "Well, it is nice to meet you, Severus Snape," she said awkwardly. And then added as an afterthought, "I thank you for your manners, but I would really appreciate it if you would refrain from referring to me as Miss Dumbledore." She bit her lip in contemplation, trying to come up with a quick excuse to explain her request. "You see, it just reminds me how far away from home I truly am. We don't really bother with last names unless speaking to an elder of the tribe. Being addressed so formally is only making me more homesick."

Severus tried to hold her stare, but she quickly broke away, unsure if he had mastered legilimency yet. He was clearly feeling unsure of the situation, as the request to be on a first name basis with him was not one he often heard, even coming from his own housemates. "Okay," he said quietly. "I suppose if I will be addressing you with such a familiar term, I will grant you with my permission to call me Severus. But I must ask you to refrain from attempting to shorten my name. I am not fond of nicknames."

Hermione, or that is to say, Helena, couldn't help but feel a bit hurt at his demand. He had only ever granted one person to shorten his name, and she was the woman he had loved since childhood. She determined not to let it bother her, seeing as it really wasn't any of her business, and the request wasn't a ridiculous command. "Of course. Thank you, Severus. It is so nice to have a friend," she said, putting emphasis on the last word. She rather hoped that he would allow her to consider him as such, and that perhaps he would grow to consider her a friend as well.

"Let's not get carried away. . ." he drifted off quietly, unsure of her offer of friendship.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just, I really could use a friend," she said, determined to get him to accept her offer.

He cleared his throat and straightened his already rigid posture, once again trying to assert his dominance in the conversation. "Very well," he started stiffly. "I will be your. . . friend," he said as if he had an unpleasant taste in his mouth. "But I must warn you, I am not exactly the nicest person around, and I don't plan on changing that. I am known to hold impolite company, and I have many enemies."

"Thank you for your concern, but I believe I can hold my own."

"I don't doubt it, Miss Dumbledore – erm, Helena. But magic is different here. While you are still getting use to the precise magic that comes with wielding a wand, we have been accustomed to it for many years. If you, well if you find yourself in a situation, I will do my best to help you."

Hermione smiled gratefully at her new friend. Severus Snape was known for his loyalty to those who were loyal to him. She really couldn't have asked for a better first friend in this new time, aside from her new Uncle Albus. "Thank you," she said kindly.

Severus offered her his arm, and she looked at him questioningly. "Just take my arm, Helena. It is customary in polite company."

Hesitantly, she placed her hand in the crook of his arm. "I wasn't aware that the European wizarding world was still upholding Victorian practices." She knew that in just 20 years from now, to be on the arm of a man was considered a romantic gesture, but perhaps etiquette was different from then.

"Not everyone does; however, I do. And if you insist on being in my company, you will graciously allow me to do so. If I wish to offer you my arm, I will do so. If I wish to carry your books, I will do so. If I wish to escort you to classes or meals, I will do so. If I wish to open doors for you, or pull out your seat, I will do so. As I said, it is customary to do so in _polite_ company."

"_Ah so this is a Slytherin thing_," Hermione thought to herself. "Very well, but I do not like to be coddled, Severus," she said, determined to make the point clear that he did not have to do such things for her. She could very well carry her own books, and open her own doors.

"Good, because I do many things, but I do not coddle, Helena." He took a few steps than paused. "Do you feel that?" he questioned, flexing his arm under the touch of her hand.

"Are you referring to the light buzz of our magic meeting under our skin?"

Severus nodded.

"I do," she said in affirmation.

"Interesting," Severus stated, before escorting her out of the lavatory, and down to the Great Hall.

* * *

_September 7__th__, 1977; Great Hall, Hogwarts; 6:45 PM. _

"Where will you be sitting, Helena?" Severus questioned quietly as he guided his new _friend_ through the big, open doors of the Great Hall. He paused his strides, waiting for her answer.

"I believe next to my Uncle Albus," she whispered.

He felt her attempting to loosen her grip, but he held her hand in place by lifting his forearm higher to his chest, squeezing her hand to keep it in place in the crook of his arm. Severus noticed the empty chair next to Professor Dumbledore. "Very well," he said. He quickly escorted her to the front of the Great Hall, stopping in front of the Head Table. He swiftly bowed to her before giving a rigid bow to the Headmaster. With a straight back, he made his way to his house's table, as Helena quietly took her place beside Professor Dumbledore, exchanging soft words with him before being pulled into a conversation with Professor Slughorn. Taking his seat, Severus let out an amused chuckle seeing her face turn red, no doubt from a rather forward question from his own Head of House.

"Was that Professor Dumbledore's niece, Severus?" Narcissa Black asked quietly to his right.

He looked at the witch next to him. The young lady had been betrothed to his own good friend Lucius Malfoy since her first year at Hogwarts. Lucius was seventeen at the time, and as Severus was close to her in age, he had requested that he would look after his young fiancée during their time at Hogwarts. Eager to please, Severus had agreed quickly to the request. Severus and Narcissa had become fast friends. He escorted her to nearly all of her classes and meals, carried her books, and looked out for her overall wellbeing, sending Lucius updates twice a week.

"Yes, it was, Cissa," he confirmed.

"You seemed to be rather friendly with her. Have you met her before?" she questioned playfully, already knowing the answer to her question.

"Don't play stupid," he replied, scooping the last bit of potatoes onto his plate.

"She's very pretty," she stated, lifting her perfectly shaped eyebrows at her dark companion.

"Are you jealous?" he questioned sarcastically.

"Hardly," she scoffed. "I was merely pointing out the obvious, Severus."

"Her looks are not disagreeable."

"Was that a compliment?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Hardly," he scoffed sarcastically. His flicked his eyes to Helena before stealing a glance to the Gryffindor table, searching for a particular redheaded witch.

Narcissa followed his eyes. "Surely you aren't still hung up on the muggleborn?"

Severus quickly averted his eyes to his plate in front of him, stabbing his fork into a boiled potato. "No," he said bitterly.

"You are good liar, Severus Snape. But I know you. You don't fool me," she said knowingly.

"Well then, if you know so much about me, don't ask asinine questions," he bit out.

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "You wound me, Severus," she said sarcastically, dramatically grabbing her heart before leaning her head on his shoulder.

It was Severus' time to roll his eyes, and so he did as he gently shrugged her head off of his shoulder.

They ate in silence until Narcissa grabbed his arm tightly to get his attention. "Look, Dumbledore is standing up! I bet he is going to introduce his niece before sorting her. I wonder what house she'll be put in," she whispered excitably to him.

* * *

_September 7__th__, 1977; Great Hall, Hogwarts; 7:15 PM. _

Helena Dumbledore was grateful for her uncle's abrupt ending of her awful conversation with Professor Slughorn. She had been acquainted with him as Hermione Granger just two years back, and the time spent apart from the Potions professor had seemingly made her forget just how annoying he was. She supposed he would try to collect her again, especially now that she was Albus Dumbledore's niece, and native to a North American native tribe. Inwardly, she was debating on whether letting him put her on his shelf was such a good idea.

Thankfully, her thoughts were interrupted as Uncle Albus begun to speak.

"Hello, my young friends. As I am sure most of you have heard by now, we will be having a new student join our Newt level classes, my very own niece Helena Dumbledore. She was born and raised in a lovely magical native tribe from, what I have been assured is a great and beautiful state, Oklahoma. As you all are well aware, the magical native tribes of North America operate under the highest of secrecy, their traditions dating back almost farther than our own. I ask that you will respect their secrets and traditions, and refrain from bombarding Miss Dumbledore with relentless questions. I am sure she will share what can be shared if you respect her keeping what must be kept. She will begin classes with you this Friday," he paused and turned towards her, gesturing for her to meet him at the podium. He transfigured a wooden stool, and took the Sorting Hat off of the podium, waiting for her to be seated before placing it on her head.

"Ah, how peculiar Miss Dumbledore. . . Or should I say Miss Granger? Yes, I have sorted you before, but not in the past. I dare say that you are a time traveler, Helena Hermione Dumbledore Granger. . ." she squeezed her eyes shut, paranoid that someone would be able to overhear what the Sorting Hat was speaking to her inside her own head. "You are very brave, yes indeed. A Gryffindor in your past, yet my future. I do not think that will do for you this time around. These are dangerous, dark times we are living in, and you don't want to draw any more attention to yourself that you already have. Better be. . ." the Sorting Hat paused before yelling out, "RAVENCLAW!"

There was a polite applause all around the Great Hall. As Hermione walked down to her house table, she found herself searching for a pair of dark friendly eyes. For a moment, their eyes connected and Severus gave her a kind yet guarded smile; she smiled back, thankful to already have made a friend.

As she sat down, she was immediately pulled into conversation with an extremely handsome seventh year who introduced himself as none other than Gilderoy Lockhart. Hermione had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at his horrible attempts of showing off. Thankfully, dessert was a short affair, as Professor Dumbledore's speech and her sorting took up most of the time allotted for feasting on pudding. As the students were dismissed, Gilderoy Lockhart attempted to grab her arm under the guise of helping her to Ravenclaw tower. She tried repeatedly tried to politely get out of his grip, but he was either ignoring her or ignorant to the fact that she would have rather been in the company of anyone else besides him.

Mercifully, he was cut off just outside of the Great Hall by Severus, escorting what appeared to be the younger Mrs. Malfoy. "Helena, there you are. Surely you have not forgotten that I wished to introduce you to my friend, and show you around the castle before curfew?"

In confusion, Lockhart had loosened his grip, and Hermione took advantage of his lapse in strength by jerking her arm out of his fist. "Oh, I apologize," she said irritably, "I must have gotten swept away in all of the excitement." She fixed Lockhart with an angry glare.

"Yes, that does make sense. All is forgiven," Severus said, egging her anger on. Severus stared down his nose at the shorter boy. "You can go now," he commanded, rather than suggested.

It was obvious that Severus' anger wasn't affecting the arrogant Ravenclaw prefect. "Well as a fellow housemate to Helena, and a prefect, I believe it is my duty to see her to the tower," he said snidely.

Severus sneered. "Well as_ friend_ to Helena, AND a prefect myself, I believe I would like to introduce her to Miss Black, and show her around the castle," he said coolly. "Rest assured, I will see to it that she is safe in the tower by curfew. Now, if you are done _peacocking_, we will be on our way." He held out his arm not currently occupied by Narcissa, giving her a pointed look, all but commanding her to take it.

The silent command would have normally annoyed her, but she found herself only feeling grateful to get away from Lockhart's slimy hands.

Graciously, she took his arm, and offered a quiet, insincere apology to Lockhart. The three silently walked away from the dumbfounded Ravenclaw. As they bended a corner into an empty corridor, Severus pulled them to a halt.

"Thank you for saving me –" Hermione began.

"Yes, yes of course," he said, waving her off. "I believe I said that if I was going to be your friend, I would escort you around the castle if I wanted to. And I found myself wanting to when I saw you being dragged about by the dimwitted Lockhart." Severus rolled his eyes.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at his constant state of moodiness, but said nothing in reply.

"Now, let me introduce you to a friend of mine, Narcissa Black," he said.

Narcissa offered her hand to Hermione, and the two girls gently shook hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Dumbledore," Narcissa said.

"Oh please, call me Helena," Hermione said.

"Very well, but only if you will call me Cissa."

"Thank you, Cissa. I would very much like to be friends." Suddenly, Hermione felt rather unsure of herself.

Narcissa offered her a kind smile. "Any friend of Severus' is a friend of mine."

"Well, I will accept that for now. But I look forward to being your friend in my own right," Hermione said genuinely.

"I do as well," Narcissa agreed.

"If you ladies are done with your pleasantries, shall we get on with the tour?" Severus questioned politely, offering both of his arms to the ladies again.

"Actually, Severus. I don't mean to offend you, but I am rather tired. I wonder if you wouldn't just show me to the tower, so I can get some rest? We could reschedule the tour for another day?" Hermione questioned. She really was exhausted. The past week had been a whirlwind for her, and she found that she still got tired very easily. Madame Pompfrey had assured her that eventually she wouldn't tire so quickly.

"Very well. Perhaps tomorrow evening?" Severus questioned.

"Yes, tomorrow evening sounds perfect." Hermione looked over to Narcissa. "Will you join us as well?"

"Where Severus' goes, I go as well."

"Alright, let's get you to your common room," Severus said, leading the girls to the main staircases.

* * *

_September 7__th__, 1977; Ravenclaw Tower, 7__th__ Year Girls' Dormitory, Hogwarts; 9 PM_.

Hermione climbed into bed with sore muscles and racing thoughts. In just a matter of a few hours, she had become friends with a soon to be deatheater and deatheater-wife. Did this mean that Professor Snape and Mrs. Malfoy remembered her from their seventh year? She reminded herself to do her best to not do anything embarrassing in front of either of them. Perhaps, if she made herself seem insignificant, it would cause them to remember her less. She contemplated for a moment if she should just try to avoid the two of them. But something about that didn't seem right. For all the uncertainty she felt in this time, she felt for certain she was to be their friend. Being with the two of them just felt right, like that was where she was supposed to be for now. Hermione closed her eyes. She really was quite tired.


	4. Chapter Three

Hello, hello! Here it is: Chapter three! Say hello to the young Sirius Black, my friends!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just like to play with the characters.

* * *

**"Knew he was a killer, first time that I saw him.**

**Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted."**

**-"...Are You Ready For It" by Taylor Swift**

* * *

_September 8__th__, 1977; 7__th__ Year Girls' Dormitory, Ravenclaw Tower, Hogwarts; 1 AM. _

"Wake up, you screaming banshee! Wake up, wake up, wake UP!"

Hermione shot straight up, knocking into the girl who was shaking and slapping her, attempting to wake her up. "_Nightmare_," she thought to herself. "_It was only a nightmare_."

"My goodness, you have been screaming for the past half hour!" the girl, whom Hermione presumed to be her roommate, huffed.

Hermione mumbled an apology, but it didn't seem to appease the furious girl, who was still sitting on her bed. "You could have just cast a silencing charm on my curtains. I wouldn't have minded."

The girl, who Hermione would soon figure out was named Marlene McKinnon, the only other seventh year female Ravenclaw, jumped off of Hermione's bed, looking rather offended. "Well, you could have too!" She crossed her arm, and squinted her eyes.

"I already said I was sorry! I didn't know I was going to have a nightmare!"

The girl gasped as Hermione yelled back at her. "Whatever! I'm going back to bed," she said, climbing into her own bed, roughly closing her curtain shut with a huff.

Hermione took a deep breath, and realized she was shaking. In her dream, she had relived Snape's murder on repeat. At the time, she thought Snape had wanted Harry to look at him, but then she remembered that he had locked eyes with _her_, not Harry. Was it possible that he had recognized her from this time? Did she and Severus continue to grow in their friendship? Hermione laid back down after shutting her curtains and placing a strong silencing charm on them. From what she knew, Severus would be joining the Deatheaters sometime right after graduation. Would she still be able to continue her friendship with him when that happened? After all, she was a Dumbledore now, or at least would be officially by the end of the day. Could a Dumbledore even be friends with a Deatheater? Would Voldemort become interested in her because of their friendship? Hermione contemplated breaking her friendship off with him, but immediately felt a pang in her chest. Something about that thought didn't feel right. No, she was supposed to be friends with him, at least for the time being. She knew that he ended up being on their side, but he would still join the Deatheaters willingly. The thought made her sad. He would be required to do some very bad and dark things. . . but she determined to do her best to be a little light in his life, hopefully helping to guide him down the right path eventually. The thought of being friends with the future Mrs. Malfoy unsettled her, but it also seemed to feel like the right thing to do. Hermione felt like she would draw the line at being friends with Mr. Malfoy. Just the thought made her shudder.

* * *

_September 8__th__, 1977; Ravenclaw Common Room, Hogwarts; 7 AM. _

Hermione was running late. Having only woken up fifteen minutes prior, she had hurriedly gotten dressed into a blue wool jumper, a plaid skirt, and black stockings. It wasn't part of the dress code for classes, but as she wasn't attending classes today, she thought that she could get away with the outfit. Her hair was rather frizzy that morning, and she had done her best to tame her curls, but the puff just would not go down. Currently, she was darting through the common room, trying to get to breakfast with enough time to actually be able to eat; Hermione hated having to rush.

"Hello," a blonde girl with similar curls as her said.

Hermione jolted to a halt. She didn't want to be rude to a fellow housemate, but she really did need to get down to breakfast. "Hey," she said impatiently.

"You must be Helena Dumbledore. Though, if you ask me, I'd say you look a lot more like a Hermione Granger," the blonde said.

Hermione's mouth was agape in shock. She quickly shook her head and schooled her features. "Hm, how curious," she said suspiciously.

The girl cocked her head, "Yes, curious indeed." She stood up from the couch. Hermione noticed she was wearing a cork necklace, and she felt a dull ache in her gut. This must be Luna's mother. "My name is Pandora Greengrass. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hermione."

"Helena," Hermione quickly said in correction.

Pandora gave her a knowing smile. "If you say so," she said kindly.

"Why aren't you at breakfast?" Hermione questioned.

"I was waiting for you," Pandora stated simply.

"Why?"

Pandora leaned closer to Hermione. "The Nargles told me to," she whispered.

"_Yep, this was definitely Luna's mother_," Hermione thought. "Oh, well that is very kind. I'm sorry I was running a bit late this morning."

"It's okay. I get nightmares, too," she said with another smile. "Shall we get going then?"

For a second time that morning, Hermione had to close her mouth after it was hanging open stupidly. She blinked rapidly, trying to calm herself down. "Yes, of course," she said politely.

She was odd, that was for sure. But they just had to be friends. Hermione knew it.

* * *

_September 8__th__, 1977; The Great Hall, Hogwarts; 7:45 AM. _

It turned out that despite all her oddities, Pandora Greengrass was an amazing conversationalist, far better than their mutual housemate Gilderoy Lockhart. Currently, Lockhart was sitting at the opposite end of the Ravenclaw table, trying to charm the skirt off a fourth year. Hermione was just glad he wasn't trying to talk to her again. She couldn't believe she ever gave him a Valentine.

"Oh look, are those your new parents, Helena?" Pandora questioned, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Hermione decided to ignore her choice of wording. She looked up to see Gabriel and Chameli Dumbledore walking down the middle of the Great Hall. They locked eyes with her for a moment and offered her a smile; she smiled back. "Yes, Pandora. Those are my parents." She looked over to Professor Dumbledore, who beckoned her with a quick jerk of his hand. "Excuse me, Pandora. I'll see you later."

Pandora smiled kindly at her, but offered no verbal reply. On her way up to the Head Table, she met Severus' eyes and flashed him a friendly smile. He didn't smile back, but gave her a polite nod; however, Narcissa smiled widely at her and waved her hand in greeting. Hermione smiled and waved back.

The Headmaster had rounded the table, and stood talking quietly to the people who would be calling her daughter. Hermione stood quietly next to Gabriel, waiting for their polite conversation to be over with. She was surprised when Gabriel put his arm around her, and pulled her close to the side of his body. Hermione couldn't help but stiffen at the unfamiliar contact. As Chameli was speaking pleasantries to Professor Dumbledore, Gabriel leaned down to whisper in Hermione's ear. "I've always wanted a daughter, Helena," he said.

Hermione relaxed as he said those words. She smiled to him. "Well, I am happy to oblige," she whispered back.

Gabriel chuckled. "You are quick witted. Chameli will love you." He let her go. "Should we go to your office, Albus?" he spoke up.

"Yes, let's go to my office," Professor Dumbledore agreed, leading the way for the new found family.

* * *

_September 8__th__, 1977; 7__th__ Year Girls' Dormitory, Ravenclaw Tower, Hogwarts; 4 PM. _

Helena was exhausted. The blood pack that they made had completely zapped all of her energy. Both her body and her magic were tired. She had a wonderful time getting to know Gabriel and Chameli Dumbledore, her new parents. Thinking of them as her parents hurt her, knowing that she had sent her own parents away and was unsure if they would ever be able to have their memories restored. But that's what they were now, magically and biologically her parents. Adoption in the wizarding world is a big deal for that very reason. When a family adopts a child, they share their magic with that child, just like they would a child that they had biologically conceived. Hermione, for all intents and purposes, was now truly Helena Dumbledore. Even when Pandora saw her during lunch, she had told her that now she truly looked like a Helena.

Gabriel and Chameli was both very nice. Chameli was pregnant with their fourteenth son, and she had made Helena promise to come home during the Yule holiday break so that she could meet the rest of her family. She quickly agreed, as she was eager to know more of their tribe. Besides, Hermione hadn't spent Christmas with family since her third year at Hogwarts. Though they do not celebrate Christmas, she was still excited to spend the day with family nonetheless. After performing the blood pack, Uncle Albus allowed them to use his office to get to know each other better. Helena told them what she could about her past, or rather future, life, and they told her many family stories. She could tell that Gabriel and Chameli loved each other very much. Gabriel doted on Chameli, and Chameli looked at Gabriel as if he was her whole world. The thought made Helena happy. She was happy to have been given such a happy family. They reminded her much of her own parents from before. Herald and Helena Granger had been madly in love with each other. They were always looking, always touching each other. It had made her embarrassed as kid, but she grew out of that quickly when she realized how lucky she was to have two parents who loved each other so much. Now she had four parents who loved their spouses like that. Despite missing her family and her friends very much, she felt a sense of happiness and peace she hadn't felt in a very long time. She closed her eyes feeling content with her life as it was in the present. If only she knew her world was about to be flipped upside down.

* * *

_September 8__th__, 1977; 7__th__ Year Girls' Dormitory, Ravenclaw Tower, Hogwarts; 5:30 PM_.

Helena woke up to being shoved out of her bed by Marlene McKinnon. Her bottom hit the stone floor hard. "What the bloody hell was that?" she yelled at Marlene.

"Lily, Sirius, Snape and Black are all outside of the common room waiting for you to get your ass up. Things are tense. I'm sure that there will be hexing soon," Marlene stated.

"Couldn't you have woken me up. . . I don't know – any way besides _that._" Helena rubbed her bruised bottom. "You're lucky I didn't hex you for assaulting me!"

"Oh stop being so dramatic." Marlene threw a pillow at her. "Get going!" she yelled, stomping out of their room.

Helena cast a quick charm to get the wrinkles out of her clothing, slipped on her shoes, and headed out to see what all the commotion was. Before starting down the stairs to the common room, she stopped. "_Wait_," she thought, "_Lily and Sirius are there. . . Harry's mother and godfather. . . Oh goodness. I'm about to meet Lily Potter – wait, could Sirius had recognized me too_?" She swallowed her thoughts down as she came to realization that Marauder Sirius was outside her common room with Severus, his school rival. This was not going to be good. She quickly descended the stairs, hoping to get there before the first hex. As she came barreling through the entrance door, she saw that Sirius and Severus were facing each other, wands drawn, and Lily and Narcissa were both trying to prevent their friends from casting the first curse. Helena cleared her throat. "Is there something the matter?" she questioned, her voice wavering slightly at the sight in front of her.

All four turned around to look at her, and her mouth went dry. Standing in front of her was a young Sirius Black, untainted and untattooed from Azkaban. She had to resist the urge to run into his arms. He locked eyes with her, and she took an involuntary step towards him. His eyes spoke of mischief, not horror and pain, and she wished very much that the Sirius in front of her could stay like this forever. The Sirius of her time was rugged and sexy, but this Sirius was brazen and handsome. It was no wonder he had claimed to have such a _reputation _with the ladies back in his younger days. And then her eyes connected with Lily's and all she could see was Harry staring back at her. "_He had his mother's eyes_," she thought to herself. Her eyes started to water, and she had to blink rapidly to keep tears from falling. Knowing that three of the four people standing in front of them will die in the coming wars, and the fourth's outcome had yet to be determined, caused her much pain. It took her breath away. She didn't see why she should be made to come back in time, just to get to know people who will end up dead. Putting her through this pain wasn't fair. Had she not suffered enough?

"Oh no, you're not going to start crying again, are you?" Severus questioned, his stand-off with Sirius forgotten by both of the boys at her appearance.

"I can't say I blame her, Snape. Just one look at you could make any girl cry," Sirius jabbed at him.

"No one asked you, mutt." Severus glared at Sirius. And with those words, both the boys had their wands pointed at the other. Lily was holding onto Sirius' wand arm, and Narcissa had taken a defensive step towards Severus. This did not look good.

Helena thought quickly. "I wasn't getting ready to cry because of Severus' appearance. In fact, I quite like his appearance. I was getting ready to cry because your wands were drawn, and it made me miss home. We don't do such things there." Narcissa and Lily both took a step toward Helena to comfort her, but stopped when they saw the other was moving closer as well. Helena took a step closer to Narcissa, allowing Narcissa to close the gap between them.

"You've never seen two blokes duel before?" Narcissa questioned, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Only a few times. When two tribe members have a problem with the other, they take it to an elder to be resolved. Usually, things are solved then. They don't usually escalate to a duel, unless someone's honor was questioned. In which case, the duel doesn't end until one is dead. Seeing the two of them in such a defensive stance just took me back is all. I'm okay, really," Helena said, trying to sound convincing.

Lily walked over to Sirius and jerked his arm down. "Put your wand down. You're scaring her."

Helena felt defensive over that statement. "I wasn't scare. I was just unbalanced for a moment."

"Well, it's no matter. I am Head Girl, and I couldn't very well let these two idiots duel each other in a corridor," Lily said. Then she turned to Severus. "Five points from Slytherin for raising your wand to duel. You're a prefect. You should know better, Snape."

"Hey! Sirius raised his wand first. He was only raising his in defense! That's unfair. Abuse of power," Narcissa exclaimed, tightening her fist around her wand.

"Because your own family doesn't abuse their power, Black?" Lily scoffed.

Narcissa looked taken aback for a moment, before steeling her features.

She wasn't sure what compelled her to do so, but she felt like she needed to defend Narcissa. Something inside of her told her that she would never be friends with Lily, not like how she would be with Narcissa. "Two wrongs don't make a right," Helena said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Lily questioned, not trying to hide her disdain for her.

"I said, two wrongs don't make a right," Helena said with more confidence. Lily looked at her with anger, and she tried to avoid her eyes. She couldn't handle seeing Harry's eyes looking at her with such a furious glare. She looked to Sirius and saw disappointment in his eyes. She felt like she was supposed to be friends with him. She took a step in his direction and looked into his eyes. "Besides, you can't judge someone by their family's actions," she said, hoping to hit a nerve with him.

It looked to do the job. He walked over to Lily and grabbed her arm. "Come on, Lils. Let's go down to dinner. She looks like she is making friends well enough alone." Lily allowed herself to be pulled away from the trio of friends, but not before casting another glare in each of theirs direction. Helena purposed that if she ever made it back to see Harry, she wouldn't tell him about this. The two snakes and eagle made their way down to dinner together, neither one bringing up the confrontation.

* * *

_September 10th, 1977; 4th Floor Empty Classroom, Hogwarts; 8 PM._

Sirius Black couldn't stop thinking of Helena Dumbledore. He had seen some shit in life, and he could tell that she had seen some shit as well. Her eyes were the color of firewhiskey, but they had a certain glassy cover over them. There were some rumors about how she ended up at Hogwarts. He paid quite a few galleons for some information on her. Apparently, she had shown up via international portkey bruised and bloodied. Aside from hanging out with Pandora Greengrass, she kept company with the snakes. She had really hurt Lily's feelings, and James had taken to glaring at Helena anytime he saw her. He had known from following his younger brother that the Slytherins came to this classroom often to hang out. It was for that very reason he found himself barging through the door, hoping to find _her_ there. As he flew through the door, he was not disappointed. She was there, sitting on the arm of a chair occupied by Snape, laughing at something his own baby brother had told her. Quickly, he was met by a barrage of hexes. Sirius quickly flicked them all away.

"What are you doing here, Sirius?" Regulus questioned, his voice full of hostility.

"Relax, Reggie. I came here to talk to Dumbledore," Sirius explained. At the sound of Dumbledore, there were many hisses and tsks filling the room.

"No. Absolutely not. You are not talking to Helena," Severus said, standing from his chair, putting his arm out in front of her defensively. "You're just mad about the other day. You only want to get her back for what she said to Lily."

"I don't. On my honor," Sirius swore.

Regulus laughed. "Honor, brother? What do you know of honor?"

Sirius tightened his grip on his wand, but didn't rise to his bate. "Come on, Dumbledore. I just want to talk."

"Fine," she agreed. There were many gasps around the room. It had seemed that despite her last name, the Eagle had been adopted by the Snakes.

"Helena, you can't possibly –" Severus began, before getting caught off by Helena.

"I'm more than capable of defending myself. Besides, I'll only be just outside the door." Helena moved past Severus arm and squeezed his hand. "I'll be fine. Promise." She walked over to Sirius confidently, but her eyes gave her away. He could tell she was a bit nervous, for whatever reason. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll be right back," he announced to no one in particular, and then led her out to the corridor.

After getting far enough away from the door to avoid worrying about eavesdroppers, Helena looked up to Sirius. "What do you want, Black?"

"Why do you do that?"

Helena looked at him confused. "Why do I do what?"

"Why do you call everyone else by their first names, but call me Black? You've barely been walking about for three days, and you're already on first name basis with the whole castle. You even refer to Lily and James by their first names."

Helena swallowed. "Oh, I guess I hadn't noticed I had been doing that."

Sirius nodded his head. There was a moment of silence, and then he cleared his throat. "You really hurt Lily with what you said."

"And she really hurt Cissa with what she said," she said back defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I thought two wrongs don't make a right?" he questioned, using her own words.

Helena let out a huff. "You're right. They don't," she said deflated. "Next time I see her I will apologize for hurting her feelings. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No," he said quickly.

Helena raised her eyebrows at him. "Well, what else?"

"Why do you hang out with snakes? Are you. . . Are you a supporter of You-Know-Who?"

Helena was taken aback by that statement. "My last name is Dumbledore. Of course I'm not a supporter of You-Know-Who."

Sirius sighed. "Well then you should be careful. If you hang out with the wrong crowd, people might think you are."

Helena bristled at his comment. "Well, those who truly know me would know I would never support such a cause. And those who would believe such statements are simply not meant to be my friends. I have no use for fair-weather friends, or people who are quick to believe what they read or what they heard." She took a step forward, causing him to take a step back. "Tell me, _Sirius_, do you believe what you hear about me?"

He fixed his expression. "I didn't know what I should believe."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you care, anyways?"

"I – I don't. Look, Reggie isn't a good guy, and neither is Snape. Narcissa is my cousin, and she is by no means a good girl either. I just didn't want you to get hurt, seeing as you are Professor Dumbledore's niece."

Helena took a step back. "I see," she said, clicking her tongue. "You seem to have mistaken by friendship and compassion for idiocy and ignorance. To do so again would be most _unwise_."

Sirius reeled back. "Are you threatening me?"

Helena shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"Then what are you trying to say?"

"What I'm saying is that even a single wick alight with a flame can be most comforting and illuminating, especially in the darkest of rooms. That room is very dark, wouldn't you say?" she questioned, pointing to the door.

"So you're what? Trying to save them? They don't want to be saved! I know. I have tried. Reggie won't listen to me," he said defensively.

"They aren't some sort of pet project. I'm not trying to save them. I'm trying to be their friend."

"I still don't understand why you would want to be their friend. Nearly all of the people in that room will be Deatheaters by their graduation!"

"I know who they serve. I know the monster that they refer to as master. But I have sat beside them. I have felt their magic with my very own. While their magic rages like a dark sea, their core, the very base of their intentions are pure. Tell me, Sirius Black, can you say the same?" Helena took a step closer, closing the gap between them. She lifted her head high. "Do you fight for the light for the good of the world, or to only dig the deepest and widest trench to separate you from your family? To fight for the light for glory and namesake is no different than fighting for the dark for the same reasons. What can you say of your intentions, Mr. Black?" She paused, waiting for him to reply. When he gave none, she continued. "Nothing? How very hypocritical." She took a few step backs before turning around to go back into the classroom, leaving a stunned Sirius, gaping at her retreating form.

* * *

Well there it is! There is Sirius. Poor guy. . . She's not going very easy on him.

I will see you all Friday! Please review!


	5. Chapter Four

I'm sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the other ones. When I wrote this, I ended it where it felt natural to do. Next chapter is longer like the others.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just play with the characters.

* * *

_September 16__th__, 1977; The Library, Hogwarts; 3:30 PM. _

Helena had just completed her first full week of classes back at Hogwarts. She was already nearly a month ahead in all of her classes, so she was determined to relax a bit that coming weekend with some light reading. She had set a nice schedule for herself so far, and the repetition of her days had helped her ignore the impending deaths of so many of her classmates. When she looked at Regulus, she did her best to not think of an army of inferni dragging him down to the depths of a lake. When she looked at Lily and James, she did her best to not think of Harry, and the flash of green light that encompassed their bodies. When she looked at Sirius, she did her best to forget the look on his face as he fell through the veil. When she looked at Severus, she did her best to not remember the way his dark eyes had pierced her soul as he took his last breaths. When she looked at Remus, she did her best to forget the lifeless eyes of a man she always had looked up to. No, she did not allow herself to think on it at all during the day; she had to witness it enough at night in her dreams. Her nightmares were as consistent as her daily schedule. Her dreams were very nearly always about either Severus or Sirius. She had to relive their deaths more times than she could count. Because of these perpetual dreams, she decided that she would start to catalogue them in a journal, and try to piece together how well she ended up knowing both of the dark haired men. As she sat down at her favorite table in the back of the library, she pulled out her journal and began to write.

_I cannot seem to shake the feeling that both of these men will become vital parts in my life. Between the calling of my magic when I am near Severus, and the natural pull I feel to Sirius, I am certain that I play a big part in their lives as well. During my dreams at night, I nearly always see one or the other, and occasionally both. With Sirius, my mind replays often the summer before my fifth year, during my stay at headquarters. Sirius stayed often by my side, and when he wasn't near me, he was looking at me. I thought then that he only took an interest in me because of my close connection with Harry. But during my dreams, I view our interactions from a third, nonexistent person. I am not witnessing our interactions as myself. I see the way he looked at me. I see the way he touched me gently on my arm, shoulder, back, knee. . . At the time, I took it as a fatherly affection. But as I find myself reliving each moment, the touches don't remind me of ones you would see between family, but rather the kind of innocent touches I always saw between my mum and dad. Is it possible that we develop some kind of relationship while I am here in this time? If so, I perhaps should quit avoiding him. But avoiding him seems a lot easier than facing him. _

_On the other hand, I wish I could avoid Severus like I avoid Sirius. I enjoy his company, and something about my magic just seems content when I am with him. His presence is a comfort to me, but it also unsettles me. Being with him is so familiar. The ease that I feel with him is confusing. My dreams of him are usually always about his death, but I suppose that makes sense. I do not have many memories of him during my time that I could look back fondly on. Though, I often re-see waking up in the infirmary after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and finding him asleep in the chair next to me, clutching my hand tightly. At the time, I brushed it off. I couldn't understand it, so I refused to think about it. _

_Either way, I am forced to come to the conclusion that both Severus and Sirius remembered me from my time here. I can't help but feel – _

"I didn't take you for the journal type," Severus said, interrupting her journal entry.

Helena quickly shut the leather book closed. "My Uncle suggested it."

"Ah yes, your Uncle Albus," he sneered. "How did your meeting go with him last night?"

"It went well. I believe we are going to make it a weekly occurrence for my time here at Hogwarts."

Severus nodded, and took the seat next to her.

Helena looked around and noticed he was alone. "Where's Cissa?"

"She decided to have a bit of a lie in. She said she doesn't feel good."

"Ah," she replied. They hadn't spent time alone since they first met each other, and she found she was unsure of what to say.

They settled into an uncomfortable silence between the two of them.

"There's a Hogsmeade weekend for the seventh years next week," Severus stated awkwardly.

"Yes," Helena replied. "I know."

"Cissa is going to be meeting up with Lucius that day."

Helena stiffened at the mentioning of the man, but quickly recovered. She hummed in acknowledgment. "That's nice."

"Yes," Severus replied. "I know."

Once more, silence settled among them. Both were staring directly in front of them, refusing to look at the other.

Suddenly, Severus turned to look at her. "Wouldyouwanttogotohogsmeadewithme?" rushed out of his mouth.

Helena wasn't exactly sure what he had said, though it sounded a lot like an invitation to go to Hogsmeade with him. Slowly, she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that?"

Severus cleared his throat. "Would you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" he repeated, much slower this time.

"Oh," Helena said. She had been asked by nearly every single seventh year guy in Hogwarts, but she had turned them all down. "As like friends? . . . Or as like a date?"

Severus looked quickly away from her, resuming his previous stare at the chair in front of him. "Well I was hoping as a date," he said quietly. "But we could as friends too. If that is what you wanted."

On one hand, she enjoyed his company, and found him very attractive in his own unique way. On the other hand, he was a future willing Deatheater, and she was uncertain if that could be something she could be okay with. She thought back to her recent journal entry, and her attempt at trying to figure out her relationship with Severus. In the present and the future, he had loved Lily. Everything he did, he had done for Lily. She replayed his question in her head, hoping that her gut would tell her what to do, as it so often had done in the past week. Nothing. There was no inclination to either possible answer she could give him.

"Forget about it," he muttered, getting ready to stand up.

Helena placed a hand on his shoulder, "Wait." She pulled his face towards her gently. "I'm sorry I was quiet for so long. I was just a bit shocked. Well, I was sort of under the impression that you liked someone else."

Severus visibly swallowed. "I do." Helena raised her eyebrows at him. "But I like you too."

"Oh," she replied. He looked so unsure of himself. She could really tell that he was far out of his comfort zone. She really admired that about him. And besides, it wasn't like she didn't like him too. He was a perfectly fine young man. And it was just a date. It wasn't like he was asking her to be his girlfriend. "Okay."

"Okay?" he questioned.

"Okay, I will go to Hogsmeade with you," she clarified.

"You will?" he said, sounding surprised.

"Of course," she assured him.

He deflated a little bit. "As a friend?"

"No."

"As a date?"

"Yes."

* * *

_September 18__th__, 1977; 4__th__ Floor Empty Classroom, Hogwarts; 8:30 PM. _

Things between Helena and Severus had went back to normal after their awkward encounter in the library. Nearly right after he asked her out, he went down to the Slytherin common room to grab Cissa, who was waiting patiently to find out Helena's answer. After all, it was at the insistence of Cissa that Severus asked Helena out at all. It wasn't that he didn't like Helena, because he did. But his heart belonged to another, and he didn't see that changing any time soon. Nevertheless, he asked her, convinced that perhaps if he allowed himself to get to know her more intimately, he could forget about Lily and allow himself to fall for Helena like that. She was very pretty, kind, well-mannered, and had good connections. He was also quite curious as to why his magic always pulled to her, why every time they touched his body practically sighed in contentment, why while he loved another, he couldn't help but like her too. He found that he couldn't seem to focus on the conversation surrounding him that night. His attention was more on the girl who was perched on the armrest of his chair, sitting there like she has continued to do since he and Cissa first brought her there. The only difference was that after he had asked her out, she seemed to sit closer to him. Uncertain of what he was exactly doing, he timidly put his hand on her lower back. He felt her muscles stiffen at the contact, but before he could move his hand away, she had already relaxed into his touch. It felt _normal_. It felt like he had been created just to touch her. He wasn't exactly used to touching girls, so he was uncertain if he should move his hand back and forth, or keep it unmoving. He tried to think about all the times Lucius touched Narcissa. He remembered that Lucius would rub gentle circles on her back while in a conversation with another person. As that was Severus' only picture of a relationship, he decided that he would try that too. Of course, not that he and Helena were in a relationship, but he was taking her out in a week. So that had to have meant something. Slowly, while keeping the rest of his hand in place, he started to rub gentle circles on her back with his thumb. He felt her relax even more into his touch, so he took the opportunity to start up a conversation with Regulus, who was sitting on the couch next to him; however, he found it rather hard to concentrate on their conversation while he was touching Helena, and he quickly let their small talk wither away.

No, he was much more interested in looking at Helena.

She really was very pretty.

* * *

_September 21__st__, 1977; Black Lake, Grounds of Hogwarts; 4 PM. _

That Wednesday was the first cold day of the new school year. Not many students were outside, but Helena didn't care. The cold air always helped her clear her thoughts, so when she found herself confused with the turn her time here had taken, she had slowly made her way to the edge of the Black Lake. Skipping rocks and taking deep breaths is how Sirius Black found her that afternoon. He didn't try to talk to her, he simply stood next to her, picked up a rock from the pile she had summoned to herself, and threw the rock into the lake.

As the rock landed into the lake with a splash, Helena let out a laugh. "That's not how you skip a rock."

"Yeah, I've always been a bit rubbish at it. But that's okay. I can get a lot more of my anger out by throwing things," he said. To make his point, he picked up another rock and threw it into the water.

"Well, whatever makes you feel better." As he picked up another rock, she snatched it out of his hand. "But get your own rocks."

"Ah, Helena Dumbledore doesn't like to share." He chuckled before taking the rock back from her. He threw it in with a splash. "Are you an only child?"

Hermione had been an only child, but Helena was not. He made her miss Harry and Ron. He made her miss her parents. He made her miss being an only child. She took a breath and skipped another rock. "No, my mother has fourteen sons, with another on the way."

"Your dad must be a busy bloke." He handed her a rock.

She took it with a chuckle and made a face. "How about we don't talk about my parent's sex life?" She skipped the rock. It hopped three times before sinking to the bottom.

"We could talk about your sex life?" he questioned, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

Helena punched his arm before snatching up another rock. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"You seem to be fitting in pretty well. In less than two weeks, you have easily become the most popular girl at Hogwarts."

"I don't think so." She picked up another rock. "I'm not very popular with Gryffindors." It hopped five times.

"That's because you hang out with snakes." He picked up another rock and threw it.

She turned to look at him. "Then why are you talking to me?"

"Because you have been avoiding me." He dodged the rock that the giant squid threw back at him.

She dropped the rock in her hand; it landed with a thud. "No, I haven't."

"I've been trying to talk to you for a week. Every time I see you, you manage to disappear before I can get to you."

"Well you're talking to me now." She sat down in grass.

He nodded his head and sat next to her. "Thanks for apologizing to Lily."

"It was the right thing to do," she said. She started picking the blades of grass that separated them. "Is that why you wanted to talk to me?" She looked at him. "To thank me?"

He leaned back on his elbow casually. She had to look away from him. She already thought Severus, Harry's most hated professor, was attractive. She couldn't possibly allow herself to think Sirius, his godfather, was as well.

"No. I wanted to ask you to come to Hogsmeade with me."

She looked back to him. "Oh. . . I'm already going with someone," she said quietly.

"Who?"

"Severus."

"As a friend?"

"No."

"Hmph." He stood to his feet and brushed his hands across the tops of thighs. "He used to be friends with Lily."

Helena wasn't sure what to say so she just nodded.

"He called her mudblood." They both locked eyes.

"I know," she whispered.

He shook his head. He was clearly disappointed in her, and it hurt her. Her chest was heavy at the look in his eyes. The image of him falling through the veil flashed in front of eyes. She turned her head away from him, trying to keep him from seeing the tears filling her eyes.

"That's unfortunate, Dumbledore." He huffed. "I'm trying desperately to figure you out. But every time I try, I just end up getting disappointed. You spoke to me about my intentions. But what about yours? What are you trying to accomplish by going out with a guy who wants to follow a mad man?" His words were met with silence. She wasn't going to try to defend herself to him. He was right. Severus was going to become a Deatheater, regardless of the fact that he switched sides in the end. "You have nothing to say?"

She wiped her eyes. "Just leave, Black."

"Gladly."

She didn't even look up as he walked away. She waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before she let out a sob. She curled her head in between her knees and cried.

She cried for Severus.

She cried for Lily.

She cried for Sirius.

She cried for Harry.

She cried for herself.

* * *

_September 21__st__, 1977; Black Lake, the Grounds of Hogwards; 9:30 PM. _

When Severus found her, she was numb. Her skin was numb. Her heart was numb. Her brain was numb. Her teeth were chattering, and her lips were blue. She allowed him to gather her in his arms. He was warm, incredibly so. She was ice, and he was fire. She snuggled closer to his warmth, allowing the fire to consume her as she closed her eyes.

She started to thaw.

* * *

Well there it is. The beginning for Hermione and Severus. I hope you smile, laugh, and cry as much as I did while writing the following chapters. I look forward to sharing their story with you.

For those holding out for Hermione and Sirius. Just hang tight. They'll get there. I promise.

Please review! I'll see you on Tuesday.


	6. Chapter Five

Today we meet Lucius Malfoy, and Severus and Hermione/Helena get closer. . . Also, they go on their first date! D'aaaaaw!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just like to play with the characters.

* * *

_September 22__nd__, 1977; Infirmary, Hogwarts; 2 AM. _

Helena awoke wrapped in heavy blankets. For a moment, she forgot what had happened. But then she turned her head, and saw the dark young man next to her, holding her hand tightly even in his sleep. The image of his older self doing the same thing nearly two decades into the future flashed in her mind. His actions after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries made sense now. That was why he was at such ease holding her hand while he slept, sitting next to her bed in the infirmary; he had done it before. She studied his face in the shadows made by moonlight. Even in his sleep he looked like he was on guard, waiting and ready for a terrible thing to happen. Her eyes looked down to his exposed forearm, unblemished by the Dark Mark. Tears started to sting her eyes at the sight. Just as much as she wished she could keep Sirius untainted by Azkaban, she wished she could keep Severus untainted by Voldemort. The brave and daring Hermione wanted to change the past more than anything, but the harsh reality was that to do so wasn't even possible. She was completely and utterly helpless; her only option was to live through this. She couldn't save any of them. The intelligent and powerful Hermione always had a way out of a situation, but now she was completely at the mercy of time. She could do nothing but watch the present unfold into her future and past. Sirius would go to Azkaban, Severus would take the mark, and Lily and James would die. Where did she fit into all of them?

Helena rubbed her thumb back and forth on Severus' hand as she cried silently. Her body racked with quiet sobs for all the people she would lose, including herself. _Hermione_. Who even was she anymore?

Her movement had Severus quickly opening his eyes, taking in a heavy breath. He brought his hand to her face. "Why are you always crying, witch?"

Helena sniffed and closed her eyes. "I'm alone. I'm so alone."

"Helena. Look at me," he commanded. Her eyes fluttered open, causing more tears to fall down her face. He brushed them away. "I'm right here, aren't I? You're not alone." He stood from his chair and motioned for her to move over. Stiffly, he laid next to her above the covers she was under. Instinctively she curled into him, rest her head on his chest. He softly played with her hair. "Go to sleep, you insufferable know-it-all. I'll be here when you wake," he said fondly.

Helena let out a cry into his chest.

It wasn't an insult.

It had never been an insult.

* * *

_September 22__nd__, 1977; Infirmary, Hogwarts. 6 AM. _

Severus was unable to go back to sleep after the witch in his arms cried herself to sleep. He was sure he would die of embarrassment if any of his housemates caught him like this, but he could seem to care enough about that. He felt guilty when he realized that for a second, he had wished the hair he was gently playing with was red. He had shook that image out of his mind quickly, but still, he was fairly certain that even just a moment's thought of different witch while with another was a bad thing to do. It wasn't that he didn't feel endeared to Helena, because he did. From the first moment he met her he knew she was different. . . That she was _special_. But she wasn't Lily. She would never be Lily. Yet, he found that he was happy that she wasn't Lily. Not being Lily was a good thing. It meant that he could actually keep her, unlike his inability to keep Lily. He had screwed things up with Lily, but perhaps he could redeem himself with Helena. If he could just do right by her, then maybe he could be worthy of her love, unlike Lily's love. He would never be worthy of hers. He knew that now. No matter how many apologies he gave or how much groveling he did, he would never be worthy of Lily. It was time to switch his focus, not matter how impossible that seemed.

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft, clearing throat. His dark eyes met the twinkling eyes of the Headmaster. He jerked up, the head laid on his chest forgotten. "Professor – I swear, I didn't do anything."

Professor Dumbledore let out a gentle chuckle. "I'm sure that you are telling the truth."

"Severus? Uncle Albus?" Helena's soft voice questioned. "What's going on?" Her head rested on her pillow, and her eyes were barely opened.

"I've just come to check on you, dear one. Evidently, I had no reason to fear. You were already being well taken care of."

She lifted her head up. "Oh yes, Severus stayed with me." Her eyes lit up at the implications of that statement. "Nothing untoward happened, Uncle. I promise."

"I believe you," he twinkled. "You seem to still be rather tired. I will let you continue your rest. I will excuse you from your classes today, but feel free to go to them if you feel up to it. I will be by a bit later to discuss what you were doing out so late in the cold." He made to leave, but stopped at the door. "Mr. Snape, perhaps you should head to your dormitory, and get ready for the day. I'm sure Helena will be okay."

Severus didn't have to be told twice. He jumped out of the bed, and bolted out the door, completely and utterly embarrassed at the way they had been found that morning, ignoring the chuckling coming from the damned Headmaster.

* * *

_September 24__th__, 1977; Road to Hogsmeade; 11 AM. _

Helena walked the road to Hogsmeade with a stiff Severus, and a bubbly Narcissa. Severus' back was rigidly straight, and the muscles in his arm were tense under the light grip of her hand. He was clearly nervous about something, but Helena could only guess about what. Was he nervous about being alone with her at some point in the day? Perhaps he was anxious to see Lucius Malfoy, who was already a Death Eater? Ever since Uncle Albus found them two days ago, Severus had been a complete gentleman. Perhaps her uncle had said something to him? No, she didn't think that could be it. She had a long talk with her uncle that evening, and in the end he said he would trust her judgement and say on the topic of Severus Snape and his allegiance. For now, she tried to push what was making Severus on edge out of her head. She had a more pressing issue to deal with first. _Lucius Malfoy_.

Walking only a step ahead of them, Narcissa was going on and on about Lucius. How excited she was to see him. . . How nervous she was to see him. . . All while fidgeting with her new set of dress robes she had owl ordered just for occasion. "Cissa," Helena interrupted. "You look great. I'm sure Lucius will appreciate your effort for him. You are already engaged. If he didn't wish to see you, he wouldn't be making the trip. Don't be foolish."

"Yes, Cissa. Helena is correct. I have it on good authority that Lucius is happy to be able to see you today. If he wasn't happy to see you, I'm sure he wouldn't have come. He is far too important of a man to be doing things he didn't wish to do," Severus admonished her.

Narcissa blushed. "Yes, you are right. He is a very important man." She grabbed Severus' arm. "I'm so lucky to have him! Me! The future Mrs. Malfoy! He's so. . . manly and handsome and rich." She let out a very unlady like squeal before clearing her throat and tugging on her robes. When she saw that the rooftops of the town were now in view, she turned around to Helena. "Are you sure I look good? My robes fit okay? My hair is still in place?"

Helena rolled her eyes. "Yes, Cissa. You look like a very pretty housewife." As they turned the bend, she sucked in a breath. There he was. Lucius Malfoy. His hair was a tad bit longer than what she was used to seeing, but he still looked around acting like he smelled something terrible. When he saw Narcissa, he dropped his sneer for only a moment, before resuming it again. It was clear that he thought all was below him, even his future wife. She had stop herself from chuckling. Even at twenty-three he had that ridiculous cane. He didn't meet them half way; rather, he allowed them to come to him. How _polite_. . . She could barely keep the grimace off of her face. This man was _appalling_, and she would have to come up with an excuse to convince Severus to cut their joined lunch together short. She didn't know if she could even stand to be next to him for an hour.

When the three stood before him, he greeted Severus first with a nod in his direction. "How are you Severus?" he asked him, completely ignoring his excited fiancée.

Severus bowed slightly. "I am well, Lucius. And you?"

"Likewise," he replied. Finally, he turned to Narcissa. "Hello, Darling. You look lovely as always." He brought her hand to his mouth and gently kissed her knuckles. Narcissa did nothing but blush. It was evident that she was nothing more to him than pretty ornament to hang from his arm. With a dignified smile, he turned to Helena. "Ah, you must be Helena Dumbledore." He looked her up and down. "My, you look nothing like the old fool. . . I mean, excuse me, your uncle. You must take after your mother." He turned to Severus. "A job well done in acquiring her so quickly." He patted the younger man on the shoulder, before offering his arm to Narcissa and turning away.

Helena opened her mouth, surely to give him a piece of her mind, but snapped her lips shut when Severus lightly pinched her arm and shook his head no. Normally she wouldn't have listened, but his eyes were practically pleading with her to be quiet. Her face softened and she gave him a gentle smile. She would be silent. For now, at least.

Lucius led them to the Three Broomsticks. Lucius pulled out a chair for Narcissa, then took the seat next to her. Severus did the same for Helena. Helena was unsure of how she was supposed to act. It was obvious that both Narcissa and Severus acted differently with Lucius. Narcissa was quiet and doting, giving Lucius her full attention, despite him not including her in any of his conversation with Severus. As for Severus, he was polite and stiff the whole time, never really relaxing. Helena found herself sighing in disappointment, heavier than she intended to evidently because Severus placed his hand on her knee under the table. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and rubbed his thumb back and forth on the hem of her skirt, making sure to never touch her skin. He made no attempt to include her in any of the conversations, but she took the physical gesture to be his apology, so she decided to let it slide. Her actions would reflect on Severus, and the last thing she wanted was Lucius to forbid Narcissa from talking to her if he deemed her impolite. She glanced at Narcissa, and did her best to copy her appearance. As she did, Severus visibly relaxed just slightly. Not enough to be improper, but enough to show that she had made the right move. Helena figured that this was what he was nervous about. He was afraid at how she would react to Lucius. She wasn't sure how she should feel about that, so she decided to ask him about it later. For now, she would give the man beside her full attention, and laugh at Lucius' poor jokes. He really wasn't that funny.

* * *

_September 24__th__, 1977; Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade; 12:15 PM. _

To say that Severus had been nervous about the interactions of Lucius and Helena would be an understatement. He was downright terrified. It wasn't that Helena was not polite and well-mannered, but she could be rather opinionated if stirred up. Because she was here as his date, anything she said would be a reflection on him. Normally he wouldn't care what another thought of him, but Lucius' was not the type of person you wanted to have as an enemy. He had sat up straighter, if that was even possible, when Helena had given a loud, bored sigh at the lack of her inclusion in their conversation. To bring her into a conversation about politics and finances would have been impolite to do in his present company, so he tried to satisfy her with an unspoken apology. He discreetly rested his hand onto her knee and squeezed. "_I'm so sorry_," he thought. He hoped that this wouldn't turn her off from him. Her posture slightly changed at his touch, and he hoped that meant she accepted his apology. He rubbed his thumb over her skirt, purposefully avoiding her flesh. Evidently that did the trick. She quickly copied Narcissa's posture, and Severus relaxed a bit. Perhaps this wouldn't be the disaster he thought it would be. No doubt, there would be a conversation about this later. Helena wasn't the type of witch who appreciated being treated as an accessory. He snuck a glance at the woman beside him and gave her a smile. She graciously returned it, albeit a bit stiffly. Yes, they would definitely be talking about this later. He inwardly cringed. Somehow things always turned out to be awkward when they were alone. He hoped that it wouldn't be so today. After all, he had things he wished to discuss with her as well; namely, Sirius Black. She still hadn't told him what exactly happened between the two of them before he found her that night, and he was determined to get it out of her. It seemed as if that today would not only be their first date, but also possibly their first argument. He would do his best to avoid that being the case.

An older gentleman walked behind Lucius and slapped his shoulder merrily. Severus could tell that the action had annoyed him, but he remained polite. The gentleman, presumably employed by the ministry, pulled Lucius into a conversation about the latest law to be passed. Severus took the opportunity to lean in closer to Helena. He brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. We'll leave shortly," he whispered.

She responded by squeezing his knee and smiling up at him. Severus felt reassured by the action. Narcissa let out a giggle as she watched the couple in front of her. "Oh, you two are just the cutest!" she exclaimed, clutching her hands together. She seemed to take advantage of Lucius' attentions being elsewhere.

Severus immediately stiffened again at her exclamation. Helena seemed to notice his uncomfortable posture. "Cissa, you're embarrassing poor Severus," Helena said. However, as those words left her lips, Lucius' had already excused himself from the interrupting gentleman, and had refocused his attention on his lunch companions.

"Narcissa, what did you say to my dear friend?" He questioned. His tone was light, but his face spoke of his displeasure.

Narcissa opened her mouth to reply, but Severus cut her off. "She was merely remarking on the cuteness of my appearance with Helena," he said dryly.

"Oh dear," Lucius tsked. "What a womanly thing to say. I apologise, Severus, for her impertinence."

Severus squeezed Helena's knee a bit tighter in warning. "No offence taken, Lucius. Narcissa and Helena have gotten rather close. I'm sure she meant no offense by it." He gave Narcissa a pointed look.

"Yes, of course. I meant nothing of it. I'm terribly sorry for my comment," she said, looking thoroughly chastened.

Lucius gave Narcissa a sympathetic look. "Of course you are, my darling." He looked to Severus. "You simply cannot blame the women when they say such nonsense. They cannot help that their minds are so simple that the only things they can think of are appearances and who's with who."

Severus felt Helena grab his hand in a deathly grip, her mouth opening to say any manner of things. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he pulled her face towards him and placed a firm kiss on her lips. Narcissa let out a gasp, and Lucius had let out a chuckle. Her lips were stiff under his, but he dared not move his mouth away from hers until she relaxed. Her resolve quickly melted away, and she sighed into his lips. Satisfied, Severus moved away. "Perhaps most women only think of such things, but my Helena here has received top marks in every one of her classes. She is second to only me." He draped his arm around her shoulder. "She is a vastly intelligent and powerful witch. Her mind is anything but simple," Severus defended her. He looked over to Helena. She was breathing heavily, and her face was a deep shade of red. Oh yes, they will fight later. But perhaps, he would be able to kiss her again, too.

"Intelligent and powerful, you say?" Lucius questioned. Then he addressed Helena. "You know, if you were interested, I know someone who would be very interested to meet. . ."

Severus stiffened, knowing he was getting ready to mention the Dark Lord. He begun to think that he shouldn't have bragged about her. If she proved to be more than a simple-minded witch, _he_ would show _interest_ in her. He could not allow that to happen. Before he could intervene, Narcissa let out a gasp and interrupted her intended.

"Oh Helena, don't look behind you!" she said. Of course, that only caused her to look over her shoulder. She stiffened when she saw what Narcissa had been referring to. Sirius Black had just walked in with Marlene McKinnon, Lily Evans, and James Potter.

Severus cursed under his breath. "Perhaps we should be going now," he said, rising up from his chair.

"Is there something the matter?" Lucius questioned, concerned with the conversation no longer focusing on him.

"Oh, Lucius! Sirius said all manner of horrible things to Helena. He accused her of the most violent of things, and reprimanded her for hanging out with _snakes_," Narcissa said, putting emphasis on her last word.

Severus had to recompose himself. Evidently, Helena had saw fit to till Narcissa about the conversation between her and Black, but didn't think to tell him. . . It was no matter. She _would_ tell him later. He would make sure of it. Helena had made no move to leave, but rather sat there, seemingly in shock. She was staring at Sirius as he pulled McKinnon close, no doubt trying to charm his way into her knickers. Severus gripped her arm as gently as one could grip something, and hoisted her up out of her seat. "Let's go, Helena," he commanded, practically dragging her out of the pub. Narcissa followed them out quickly, leaving Lucius to trail behind her. Lucius did not _hurry_ like some commoner.

"Oh dear, I think she's in shock!" Narcissa said. She really wasn't helping anything. She acted like a common bimbo whenever Lucius was around. Severus ignored her and looked at Helena, concerned about her silence.

Lucius caught up to them and looked at Helena with disgust for showing her emotions in public. "Perhaps she's not as intelligent as you claim her to be. No doubt she would do well in class when she has you to study with." He turned to Narcissa. "Come now, darling. Let us leave them," he sneered, offering his arm to Narcissa. She hesitantly accepted. Severus could tell she wanted to be with Helena. She looked back as Lucius walked her away, and Severus gave her a reassuring nod.

He turned his attention back to Helena. "Are you okay?" he questioned. She did not reply, but merely stared in the window of the Three Broomsticks, looking at the foursome laughing. "Come on. Let's go back to the castle." He took a few steps but she didn't budge. "Let's go back to the castle. Now," he said, a bit harsher, but his face remained gentle. Finally she relented and kept in step with him back up the road to Hogwarts.

He tucked her in close to his body when he noticed she was shivering.

She didn't say a word the whole way back.

* * *

_September 24__th__, 1977; 4__th__ Floor Empty Classroom, Hogwarts; 2:00 PM. _

Severus led Helena into the castle, and up to the unused classroom the Slytherins used as a hang out. All the seventh years were in Hogsmeade, so there were only a few fifth and sixth years sitting on the mixed match furniture. One glare from Severus had them all scurrying away. As the door shut behind the last to leave, Severus led her to _his_ chair. The chair they always sat on together. Only this time, instead of allowing her to sit on the arm rest, he pulled her into his lap. Helena could tell the closeness made him slightly uncomfortable, but she appreciate the gesture.

"Helena, what's going on?" Severus questioned gently

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything," she said quietly.

He placed his hand on her lower back, and Helena practically sighed at his touch. It was like her body was made to be touched by him. Her magic nearly sagged in relief, and she curled into his touch. "Why don't you start from the beginning," Severus said.

"Sirius asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade," she confided. Severus stiffened, and she could feel his hand twitch on her back. "Sirius asked me that night next to the lake. I told him I was going with you. He thought maybe we were just going as friends, but I told him that I was going with you as a date. . . He. . . He told me about Lily. About how you used to be friends with her. About how you called her a. . . A mudblood." She swallowed visibly. "He thought that might have changed my mind. But it didn't. And he got mad about it. And it just made me upset, and that's why I started to cry, and I didn't know how long I had been out there when you had found me. It's like I lost all track of time." She looked up into Severus' blank face. He was occluding. She could tell. She let out a huff. "Severus, say something."

Instead of saying something, he sat silently for a few moments, running his fingers through the tips of her hair. Finally, he spoke. "That should have changed your mind."

"Probably."

He let out a sigh and met her gaze. "Why do you hang out with us? Why do you hang out with me? You're. . . You're sweet and kind, and you always get this look on your face when people talk badly about Muggleborns. Like you can't even understand how someone could say something like that." Helena furrowed her brows. "No, don't look at me like that, Helena. I'm serious. I don't understand why you do. You're a Dumbledore."

Helena couldn't answer his questions, simply because she didn't understand it herself. "Are you going to become a Death Eater?"

Severus' mask broke for a second, before a coldness set into his eyes. "Probably."

Helena let out a shaky breath. It had been a stupid question to ask. She already knew the answer. "Okay," she said.

"Okay? What does that mean?"

"Okay. It's okay if you do. It's okay if you don't. It's okay that you're not the nicest of people. It's okay. It's all okay. It's okay because I choose for it to be okay. Because for whatever reason, I like you Severus Snape. I like how you make me feel safe. I like your manners and how you're always polite. I like that you listen to my thoughts and feelings. I like that you make me feel important, for more than just my last name. I like _you_. I like you for who you are, no matter who that is. Whether that's a Death Eater or not. I like you. And that's not going to change."

"I don't deserve that," Severus said. "I don't deserve your respect or admiration. I've done things. Terrible things. And I imagine I'll do much worse."

"I know," she replied. She laid her head back against his chest.

"You're crazy. That's the only reasonable explanation."

Helena didn't respond, but rather took the time to memorize the sound of his heart beating. Because it was. It was beating. His heart was beating and he was breathing and he was alive. "_Look at me_," he had said, his raspy voice echoing in her mind. And so she did, and so she would. She would look at him, for as long as she could, because surely it wouldn't be long enough. She would look at him, for who he truly is. And no matter what, she would see past his façade. She would look past his icy mask, and see his warm soul. Because it was. It was warm and inviting. It was all consuming, as it melt away the bits of her that were frozen over from a childhood spent at war.

"Look at me," he said, she could feel the rumble of his voice in his chest, and she had to force herself not to cry. He was asking her to look at him. Now, in the present time. She raised her head, and looked him in the eye. Deep black met whiskey brown, and his lips crashed onto hers.

Helena wasn't sure what the future would hold for her, but for now, she would stay here.

For now, she would be okay.

* * *

Well there it was. Their first date and their first kiss! I hope it was all believable. I did my best to keep them in character, but Hermione will change a bit as she grows more into Helena. Which I think is a rather realistic thing to happen. She's in a different time, surrounded by people who she knows die. It would change anybody.

Also, I am going to spoil something a bit. . . There WILL be a HEA for Hermione. . . It just might not be how you think it will happen.

Please review!

I'll see you on friday!


	7. Chapter Six

Okay guys! Here it is: Chapter Six! Honestly, I'm not a fan at how this chapter turned out, but it's essential to the plot so. . . Hermione and Severus' relationships progress, Sirius shows up in the end, and well. . . There's a lot of kissing. So yeah, warning. There is some descriptive kissing in this chapter, but it's all still definitely PG-13. Also, this is a bit of a short chapter too. I'm sorry!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just like to play with the characters.

* * *

_October 1__st__, 1977; 4__th__ Floor Empty Classroom, Hogwarts; 12 PM. _

A whole week had passed by since Helena and Severus' first kiss, and it seemed like they couldn't be bothered to come up for air. In hidden corners, abandoned classrooms, behind trees. . . They were constantly pulling each other away from prying eyes, and into each other's embrace. Severus was always a gentleman, and kept his hands holding her sides, never allowing them to roam over her body. They kept their lips to themselves in front of others, but when alone, they simply could not help themselves. And so, when Severus suggested skipping lunch in the Great Hall that day, Helena was happy to oblige. He nearly dragged her to the fourth floor, knowing that the room would be empty as all the other students ate their noon time meal.

He barely shut the door behind him before pulling her close and kissing her. "If kisses could kill, your lips would be the loveliest of all poisons," he muttered against her lips before flicking his tongue, asking for entrance into her warm mouth. She let out a moan as he tugged gently on her hair, allowing him entry. Their tongues danced around each other, fighting for dominance. Never once breaking their kiss, Severus lifted her, and walked over to_ their_ chair. There was no sense in calling it his anymore. He tucked her into his lap as he sat, cradling her in his arms. When Helena heard him growl in annoyance at her battle against his tongue, she almost relented. But really, where was the fun in that? She pushed against his tongue with her own, and Severus responded by nipping her tongue with his teeth. She let out a whimper at the sensation it caused. He pulled away. "Do you concede?"

"Never," she said, gasping for air.

He let out a chuckle and flipped his hair out of his face. "You are something else, witch." He resumed kissing her, not as heated as before, but slower this time. The change was different, but not unwelcome to Helena. She allowed him to take the lead this time, and he squeezed her side in appreciation. In moments like these, she had to switch off her thoughts, otherwise she would feel her face get heated at the thought of snogging her would-be-professor like this. Surely he would have remembered this. His hand on her waist, the touch of her lips against his, the taste of her tongue. . . To her, it didn't seem like something that could have been easily forgotten.

She was right.

It wasn't.

* * *

_October 2__nd__, 1977; The Library, Hogwarts; 11 AM. _

Severus Snape tried, but failed miserably, to concentrate on his essay for Transfiguration. He placed his quill down and rubbed his eyes in frustration. Reasonably, he knew why he was so distracted. It was because of_ her_. But he wasn't sure why she was so distracting. What the hell was different about her? He glanced over to her studying next to him. Her lips moved as she read the text silently to herself. Her hair was pinned up in a messy bun, with a few strands of curls falling down her back. She was beautiful, there was no denying it. But Severus had never been the type to care for outward appearance. No, there was something about her, deep down in her core, which just pulled him to her. Even with Lily, whom he loved. . . still loved. . . he didn't have this problem. He reached out to twirl one of her fallen curls around his index finger.

His action caused her to look up. "Are you okay, Severus?" Helena asked, placing a gentle hand on his forearm, causing Narcissa to look up to him.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, I am." Helena challenged him with her facial expression. "I guess I'm just a bit tired of studying."

Narcissa giggled. "Severus Snape? Tired of studying? I never thought I'd live to see the day. Alas, it is here." She snapped her book shut with squeal, earning a glare from Madame Pince. "Come on. Let's go outside!"

Severus curled his upper lip. "It's cold," he said dryly.

"Are you a wizard or not?" Narcissa challenged. "Besides, I thought you guys studied through lunch yesterday? You both are top of our year. What more do you have to study?" A strangled noise came from Helena, and Severus turned to see her face was a ghastly shade of red. Narcissa noticed her flushed cheeks and smirked at him. "You guys were studying, weren't you?" She questioned innocently, lifting a perfectly shaped brow.

"Of course," Severus agreed smoothly. He couldn't very well change the story now. People would question his integrity, and it could tarnish Helena's reputation. "Helena, do you think you are sufficiently prepared for our Potions exam tomorrow?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but Narcissa cut her off. "Of course she's ready! She's only _the brightest witch of our age_." She reached over and shut Severus' book. "Come along. Let's get some fresh air!" She bounced up out of her chair. With a wave of her wand, all of the books, parchment, and quills lining their table packed themselves up into their proper bags.

"Well, I guess so," Helena mumbled, shrugging her shoulders.

"Just until lunch, Cissa. Then, after we eat we come back to the library," Severus commanded.

Narcissa huffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine!" She exclaimed dramatically, causing the strict library matron to come over to the group.

Her performance had Madame Pince kicking them out of the library for the day.

It looked like they wouldn't be studying later after all.

* * *

_October 6__th__, 1977; Headmasters Office, Hogwarts; 1 PM. _

Helena nervously twirled her wand between her fingers. It was unusual to get pulled out of afternoon classes for a meeting with the Headmaster. Besides, it didn't really make much sense, as they had previously scheduled to meet weekly, Thursday nights after dinner. What was so important that he couldn't have waited for that evening? She kept her pondering to herself, as she waited silently for the older wizard to speak.

"Would you like a lemon drop, dear?" he questioned.

"No thank you, Uncle."

"Very well. I'm sure you are wondering why I pulled you from your classes this afternoon when we were already scheduled to speak this evening." He peered over his glasses, allowing her to respond to him. When she made no move to do so, he continued. "Unfortunately, I will be away on business for a few days, and I'm afraid I must leave before dinner. It is an urgent matter, you see."

This peeked her curiosity. "Is it Order business, sir?"

He seemed a bit startled at her question, but he quickly recovered. "What do you know about the Order, dear?" he questioned timidly.

"Well, I know that the Order of the Phoenix is a secret society, organized by you, to take down Lord Voldemort. . ." She trailed off. "I'm not sure what else I can say."

"Did you learn that from history books, Helena? You seem a bit young to know about it from personal experience."

Helena was unsure if she should answer his question, so she silently thought about it for a moment. After giving it serious consideration, she didn't think that telling him would hurt anything. "From both, Professor. I read about it in history books, but I also have personal experience with it."

"You mean to say you were a member? You are a bit young, yes?"

"Evidently not young enough, sir."

"Yes," he said, deep in thought. "Yes, so it would seem."

After a few minutes of silence, Helena was the first to speak up. "Was there something you wished to discuss with me, sir?"

He looked up and met her eyes, confusion evident on his face. It seemed as if he had forgotten she was there. "Oh yes, dear. I did have something to discuss with you." He paused for a moment. "Uncle, dear. Not sir," he corrected kindly.

She felt her face flush at his correction. "Of course, uncle. So what would you like to talk to me about?"

"I would like to talk to you about your future."

She looked at him in confusion.

"Let me clarify, dear. Your future here in this time. While hypothetically, you could remain in this time, I don't know if that would be wise. You would have to relive a lot of moments that I'm sure were very hard for you."

Her face softened as she heard his concern.

"I'm assuming by the look on your face, I am correct?"

She nodded her head in confirmation.

"Very well. I figured as much. You are very intelligent and talented, I am sure that we could both work together to find a solution; however, I do not have an endless amount of resources, despite my connections. These are dangerous times we are living in, and I have a lot of enemies. You are my family, which means you also have a lot of enemies. I would like to make a suggestion for a possible career choice for you. I believe, if you are willing, you would make a fine Unspeakable at the ministry. They have a whole department dedicated to time. I think that if you could get into the time department at the ministry, you might be able to speed up the process of going home. They allow a lot of – shall I say, wiggle room, with their employees. You would be able to use your position there to research a way to travel forward in time, as I am unware of any such findings."

"That's – that's a brilliant idea, uncle," she said, astonished.

He chuckled. "Well I am known to have a few of those every so often." He folded his hands in front of him, placing them on his desk. "So would you be willing to make that a career goal?"

"Yes, absolutely," she said quickly. She had always been immensely curious about the Department of Mysteries and the job of an Unspeakable. This would be a wonderful opportunity for her.

"Lovely. I am thrilled you agree. I will send an owl to a friend of mine who works as an Unspeakable, and see if I can't form a connection for you there. Now, I have something to give you before I must go." He opened a drawer in his desk, and pulled out a letter that was sealed with a feather. "This came in the international post for you. Seeing as I am an acting guardian for you, they deemed it fit to deliver it to me so that I may give it to you. It is a letter from your parents. If you would like to write a reply, do so and then bring it up to me when I get back. Unfortunately, the MACUSA does not allow oversea owls at the moment, so you will not be able to send a reply via owl. However, I would be happy to deliver it to the international post for you as soon as I return."

Helena took the letter from his hand. "Thank you, uncle. I will be sure to have my reply ready by the time you come back."

"Very well. Now off you go, dear one. And if you need anything while I am away, be sure to go to Professor Flitwick. He'll be more than happy to help."

"Yes, uncle. I will." She clutched the unopened letter to her chest. "Thank you again."

He nodded and shooed her towards the door, smiling at her retreating form.

* * *

_October 6__th__, 1977; Black Lake, Grounds of Hogwarts; 3 PM. _

After her meeting with the Headmaster, she decided to go to her dorm to change out of her uniform, seeing as she would not be returning to her afternoon class. However, as she had stood outside of her door, she heard the oddest of sounds. She imagined that it sounded quite like a drowning monkey, but seeing as she had never witnessed a monkey drowning, she couldn't be completely positive. She had peered through the crack to see Marlene and Sirius engaged in position that reminded her of the muggle game Twister that she played often growing up. How Marlene even got into that position was beyond her. Honestly, she hadn't been aware the human body could take such a form. But then, she saw his _butt_, and couldn't help the embarrassed squeal that came out of her mouth. She had quickly shut the door and ran off, ignoring the curses and yells she heard from Marlene, never stopping until she got to the edge of the Black Lake. Out of breath, she laid down on the cold grass, allowing the chill to cool her down. She couldn't believe she had just seen Sirius Black's butt, or rather, Sirius Black's _nice_ butt. Because she really couldn't deny it, his butt was rather nice. "_Oh my gosh_," she thought to herself. "_Quit thinking about his butt, Hermione_. . ." And then, she couldn't help it; laying in the grass, in the company of only herself, she started to laugh. She laughed so hard, she had tears streaming down her face. She was so caught up in her own laughter, she didn't even hear Severus walk up to her. As his body caused a shadow to hit her face, she opened her eyes. He looked down his nose at her, shaking his head.

"My God, witch. What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" He questioned, shaking his head.

She tried to stop, really she did, but every time she opened her mouth to respond, another laugh would come out. "I. . . Just saw. . . S-. . . Sirius Bl-. . . Black's. . . BUTT," she said through her convulsions.

"What?" he questioned harshly, clenching his fist. "Did he. . . _reveal_ himself to you, Helena?"

Helena sobered up quickly. She wiped the tears off her face and sat up, turning herself to face him. "No, not like _that_," she said, flushing as she put emphasis on the last word.

"Then how?" he said furiously.

"After talking to my uncle, I went to my dorm to change out of my robes, and well. . . He and Marlene were. . . were doing _it _when I got there. There were so many noises, and it sounded like an animal drowning, and it looked like they were gymnasts and oh, I didn't. . . I didn't realize people did _that_ when doing _it_."

"Are you saying you saw Sirius Black having sex, Helena?"

She cringed. "Oh please, please don't say Sirius and _that_ in the same sentence. I need to go scrub my eyes after seeing that." She let out a chuckle.

Severus huffed and rubbed his face, sitting down next to her. "Helena, what you saw was improper. I suppose your reaction is fairly normal, but it's really not that funny," he sighed.

"What do you mean it's not funny?"

"If people find out you saw that, I will be expected to challenge him to a duel. He. . . _exposed_ himself in your bedroom. It's not good manners," he explained.

"No, I suppose it's not good manners, but I don't understand why _you_ have to duel him over it," she said confused.

"Well, it's because we're together, and you _saw _him, Helena."

She froze. They hadn't really discussed what they were, despite their frequent snogging. "We're together?" she questioned.

Severus stiffened. "Well, yeah. Aren't we?" he said, unsure of himself. "I mean. . . I just thought – we kiss all the time. . . and we hang out all the time. We – we went to Hogsmeade. I don't know. Are we together?"

"I don't know. . . Well, you never asked and I didn't want to just assume, you know?"

"Oh. . ." he said, trailing off. "Do you want to be together?"

Helena felt her heart skip a beat. "Well, yes. . ."

Severus sagged in relief. "Good."

She nodded and then fell into silence.

Suddenly, Severus sprung to his feet.

"Wait, where are you going?" she questioned, concerned.

"I have a guy to challenge. I thought that was obvious?" he said, walking off into the direction of the castle.

For a moment she sat there confused, before realizing what he meant. "Severus! Wait!" she yelled, getting to her feet, running to catch up with him.

* * *

Okay, there it is! This is like my least favorite chapter I've written so far, but nothing I tried seemed to make it any better, so oh well. I'm getting to the point where I am writing a new chapter, and also editing the chapter that is set to come out, and it's getting a bit exhausting. BUT I will be sticking with updating twice a week, at least for now. It just might be a bit later in the day that the chapter comes.

Please review!

I'll see you Tuesday.


	8. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just like to play with the characters.

* * *

"You can never plan the future by the past."

-Edmund Burke

* * *

_October 6th, 1977; Corridor Outside the Great Hall, Hogwarts; 3:30 PM._

"Severus! Wait!" Helena yelled, slightly out of breath from trying to catch up to him. Still, he didn't turn around. After he had gone through the front doors, his pace had slowed down to a brisk, determined walk; however, it was still too fast for her to catch up to, doing anything besides running. And so, she ran, finally reaching him as he passed the doors to the Great Hall. She placed her hand on his shoulder and tugged, turning him around to face her.

"Yes, Helena?" he questioned, a focused mask set on his face as he looked down his nose at the girl clutching her sides, slightly bent over as she wheezed. He would have been concerned that she was in such a state, but she had a wide smile on her face, a testament that she was indeed fine, if not just a little out of shape.

"You can't," she breathed out, resting a hand above his ribs, leaning into him for support.

He raised his left eye brow, a sarcastic smirk spreading across his lips. "Really?"

Helena huffed. "Yes," she affirmed, nodding her head as she placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "You seem to be under the wrong impression, Helena."

She let out a breathless chuckle. "What do you mean, Severus?"

"You do not tell me what to do," he said matter-of-factly. His statement made her look up at him, as if to say '_really_?' "No, no. Don't give me that look. You get your way plenty of times. But I believe I told you in the beginning: if I wanted to carry your books, I would; if I wanted to open doors for you, I would; well, let me make an amendment for you: if I want to hex Sirius Black's bloody balls off, I will. So I shall, and there is absolutely nothing you could do to stop me." He looked at her, as if judging her for her lack of ability to breath. He took the slightest of step towards her. "Are you alright?"

She took in three deep, steadying breaths. "If I say yes, will you rush off to curse Sirius?"

"Yes."

"And if I say no?"

He let out a huff and rolled his eyes. "I'll stay with you until I know you're okay."

Helena promptly sat down on the cold floor below her, scooting her back against the wall. "Then I'm not alright."

He glared down at her. "You are insufferable. You know that right?"

"Yes, I do," she said rather proudly.

"Don't look so smug," he muttered, bending down to sit with the curly haired witch.

* * *

_October 6__th__, 1977; 7__th__ Year Ravenclaw Girls' Dormitory, Hogwarts; 4:45 PM. _

Eventually Helena had realized they couldn't sit in front of the Great Hall forever. Her breathing had long since returned to normal, but Severus had seemed to ignore it; instead, opting to enjoy conversing with her naturally with just the two of them. Time spent alone without Narcissa was hard to come by, and the past week the only time they had alone was spent kissing. It was the first conversation the two of them had that flowed without awkwardness. It had been _friendly_, and it served as a much needed reminder that the both of them had many things in common.

Helena sat on her bed, her thoughts consumed with the possibility of them becoming real friends. Of course, they had already been friends, but it seemed that their companionship had been constantly buffered by either Narcissa, or more recently, time spent kissing. Helena hadn't talked to anyone the way she had talked to Severus since she had been Hermione. A whole month spent discussing superficial topics and academics had left her with an ache that she hadn't realized until she felt it lessen more and more as she talked with him – _really_ talk to him. Granted, she had to change a few details here and there, but she told him story after story of her time spent with Harry and Ron. She spoke about how she missed her family, and how she was having a hard time adjusting to the culture around her. She even found herself describing the recent sweater she had owl ordered that just came in the morning post. He had _listened_. He had listened to it all. And it just felt so damn good to have someone just listen.

She snuck a glance to look at her roommate's rumpled bedding. Evidently, she hadn't even had the decency to remake her bed after her rut with Sirius. She felt her cheeks heat as she remembered the position she found them in. Marlene's left leg hooked around Sirius' neck, with her right leg pushed straight back, knee touching her right cheek. One hand pinned beneath his chest, and the other wrapped into his hair. Sirius' butt as he. . . She shook her head, forcing the image out of her head. She had always found him attractive, but something about seeing such an intimate act embarrassed her immensely. Seeing him doing _it_ with Marlene just seemed _wrong_. Not wrong as in the act itself was wrong, but wrong as in he was doing it with the wrong person. Marlene was just such a nasty girl. She couldn't seem to understand why he would have chosen her. "_Well, he does have a bit of a reputation_," she reminded herself. Perhaps he had rather low standards, but still it bothered her.

Deciding to think on other things, she pulled the envelope Dumbledore had given to her a few hours back – her letter from her _parents_. She exhaled sharply through her nose, causing the feather sealing the envelope to flutter. Sliding her wand across the top, she opened package. She smiled sadly at the foreign penmanship, forcing the memory of her birth-parents handwriting out of her mind. Shaking, she began to read.

_My Dearest Daughter, _

_I hope this letter finds you well. I am sorry I have not been able to write you sooner, but as you already probably know, time has a way of passing by rather rapidly. Sometimes, I find myself wishing it would just slow down. Chameli, my darling wife, found her first grey hair the other day, despite her only being in her fourth decade. Though, I must admit, I am surprised she hadn't found one sooner; after all, your brothers are quite a handful. Nonetheless, it is a glaring reminder that time stops for no one. _

_I hope you will remember that, Helena. I am sure that you feel out of place, perhaps even isolated. Do not think harshly of yourself for those feelings, but please never forget: time still continues to move on. It is my deepest hope that you will continue to move on as well, taking whatever may come with strong strides. However, should you ever find yourself overwhelmed, please know you will always have a home here with us. _

_Speaking of home, we all are anxiously awaiting to see you over your Yule break. Your mother is due around the time of your arrival, and she wishes for me to include in my letter an invitation for you to assist in the delivery. She also apologizes for not sending a letter of her own, but much of her time is occupied by chasing little boys around. I hope you will agree to assist her. It is considered a great honor to do so, and I know that it would make her very happy. _

_Please tell me everything you can about your term so far. I hope you are making friends, and the assignments are not causing you much stress. _

_Write soon. _

_All My Heart, _

_Gabriel Dumbledore _

She hadn't realized she was crying until she saw tear drops seeping into the crinkled parchment. The letter was short and to the point, but it was also kind and sweet and exactly what she had needed to hear. She felt like it had been permission from time to keep on moving on. To not feel guilty about Severus or Sirius or Lily or James. She knew Severus will love Lily for the decades to come, but why should that mean he couldn't love her as well? That thought gave her hope. That thought gave her something to cling to.

* * *

_October 6th, 1977; Great Hall, Hogwarts; 6 PM._

Helena sat down at the Ravenclaw table at her usual spot next to Pandora. The whimsical witch looked up and smiled at her, before resuming painting what appeared to be a flower with gravy on her plate. Despite her oddities, she always felt reassured next to her. Her uniqueness was one of the only constants in her life at the moment. "That looks lovely, Pandora," she said, admiring the detail she was able to accomplish with just beef gravy.

"Thank you," she replied softly, putting the finishing touches on her design. When she deemed it complete, she started to fill her plate with the different foods around her, arranging them in a complex geometric pattern. "Have you seen Severus' face yet?" she questioned, not even bothering to look up.

"What?" Helena said, looking up and down the Slytherin table, panic quickly setting in as she noticed he was not in his usual spot.

"The doors, Helena," she stated.

Helena's head snapped to the open wooden doors right as he and Narcissa strolled through the door way. Her eyes scanned his face and she gasped when she saw him sporting a green bruise around his left eye. She made to stand up but Pandora gently pushed her back down.

"He's fine. You should see Sirius," she said.

Helena jerked her head to look over her shoulder. Sure enough, Sirius looked a lot worse than Severus. It appeared that he had been hit with a stinging hex right in his face, causing his normally handsome appearance to be rather disfigured. In addition to the swelling, his right cheek had a bruise that looked peculiarly like the sole of a shoe. She turned to look back at Severus. He had already been staring at her, smirking smugly at what was obviously his handiwork. It looked like what had started out as a duel ended with a brawl. She snorted and rolled her eyes at him; "_what a load of testosterone,_" she thought to herself. "When did this happen, Pandora?"

"About half an hour ago near the Gryffindor common room. The Nargles were positively buzzing at all the excitement."

"I'm sure they were," she muttered, putting a piece of juicy roast beef on her plate.

"Oh, don't be mad at him, Helena. You should have heard what Sirius said about you before getting knocked over by Severus stinging hex."

"What did he say?" she questioned, her curiosity spiked.

"He told Severus that despite your bad taste in men, if you were ever up for a good time, he'd be willing to give it to you, even if you are a prude," she said calmly, as if the words she was saying had no real effect on anything at all.

And perhaps they didn't, but Helena couldn't help but feel offended. "I- I'm not a prude," she stuttered. "And I do not have bad taste in men."

"Of course not, Helena," she said kindly. "Severus is very nice, even if the janglewhals tend to follow him around."

"The janglewhats?" Helena questioned, momentarily forgetting her embarrassment about what Sirius said.

"The janglewhals. They like to sit on his nose," she stated, leaning close to Helena as if she was telling a secret of utmost importance.

"Right," Helena huffed, not interested in arguing with Pandora about the nonexistent strange creatures. She wanted to go and sit with Severus, to check to make sure that he was okay, but while she ate lunch at the Slytherin table most days, she felt that perhaps the action would be improper for the dinner meal.

As if Pandora had read her mind, she said, "I'll go with you if you would like."

Helena smiled at the kind witch. "Thank you, Pandora. I would really appreciate that."

Without a reply, Pandora stood up, grabbed her plate, and started to head over to the green and silver table. Helena jumped up quickly, forgetting her plate, as she caught up with Pandora. When they got there, Regulus greeted the two girls before sliding to make room for them both. Helena sat down next to Severus, leaving Pandora to sit beside Reggie.

"What brings you two girls to eat with the snakes?" Severus asked sarcastically.

"I don't know. . . Perhaps a certain someone sporting a rather impressive shiner."

"Oh this," Severus said cockily, pointing to his bruised eye. "This is nothing. You should see the other guy," he said, nodding in Sirius' direction.

Helena snorted. "I have," she said. Then, the two fell silent for a few minutes. Helena enjoyed listening to the quiet conversation between Pandora and Regulus; it seemed like the two of them had hit it off rather well. Remembering what Pandora had told her what Sirius' said, Helena felt suddenly compelled to thank him, despite her ability to take care of herself. "Pandora told me what Sirius said. I- I well, just wanted to say thank you. You didn't have to do that."

He playfully knocked her shoulder with his. "Yes, I did. I take care of you, remember?"

She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Fine. But only if I can take care of you too."

Her words must have affected him in some way because he seemed taken back by her statement. Quickly, he recovered. "Sure," he said quietly.

"You take care of me, and I take care of you," she affirmed.

Feeling awkward, Severus cleared his throat. "Are you planning on eating anything?"

"Oh," she laughed. "I forgot my plate."

"It's okay," he assured her. "Here, you can share mine," he offered, placing an extra serving of everything in reaching distance on his plate.

* * *

_October 8__th__, 1977; 4__th__ Floor Empty Classroom, Hogwarts; 2 PM. _

After lunch that Saturday, most of the upperclassman in Slytherin had found their way to their hang out. More and more of them came to the room to relax, talk, or study as the year continued to prove to be rather cold. Even with warming charms and a fire, the dungeons were always particularly chilly; besides the common room tended to be filled with little ears that might not be the appropriate age to hear what the older students had to say. It was also just a happy coincidence that Helena could actually sit with him in the classroom, unlike his common room. And so, Severus, Helena, Regulus, and Pandora found themselves relaxing lazily on the old, tattered, mix-matched couches and chairs. Severus sat comfortably with Helena dangling on the armrest of their chair, and Reggie and Pandora sat beside them on a small green loveseat. Severus was happy for his friend, as he seemed to really enjoy the companionship of Pandora. He was uncertain why he did, as the witch was rather looney. The moment she reached to stroke his nose, claiming to be petting some jangle-whatevers, he knew that there were some screws loose in her head. Nonetheless, he remained polite because Helena and Reggie seemed to like her. With Narcissa visiting Lucius for the weekend, both couples were able to enjoy a quiet afternoon without the constant chattering about the latest fashions or which color went best with what. Helena draped her arm around Severus' neck casually as she listened to Pandora describe whatever a bummyblob was. Instinctively, he clutched her hand, enjoying the feel of their fingers tangled with each other. Helena was so _different_. She was so smart, but she eagerly listened to Pandora describe such nonsense with ease, never invalidating what she was saying. Of course, he could tell from her facial features that she thought what she was saying was bullshit, but Pandora never seemed to care.

In the past few days, it felt like he and Helena had become friends. _Real_ friends. Every day it seemed to be easier to talk to her than the last, and he appreciated the feeling of being listened to. Of course, he didn't tell her everything. No, it would be a long while till he did such a thing, if ever. But as he explained to her the nature of his hatred for Sirius, she never once looked at him with judgement or pity. She simply nodded and listened. And damn, did that feel good. It felt really good.

With Lily, it was always him listening to her. Her problems, her family, her grades, her life. . . He never talked about certain things because she never listened. He thought that perhaps things could be different with Helena – better, even.

With Helena, he had a friend.

The kissing was simply an added bonus.

* * *

There it is. . . Chapter seven! With everything going on, I don't know if I will be able to post on Friday, but I'm hoping I will be able to. If I don't, there will definitely be something on Tuesday.

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	9. Chapter Eight

In Honor of My Great-Grandmother

"If I never get to spend another moment with you,

I am so happy I have this one."

-Opal

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just like to play with the characters.

* * *

_October 30__th__, 1977; 4__th__ Floor Empty Classroom, Hogwarts; 3 PM. _

Helena Dumbledore sat causally on the wide, comfortable armrest of the chair that was now affectionately known as her and Severus' chair. Of course, she would much rather be perched on his lap, but such physical affection was limited to the little amount of time they would spend alone. Severus, despite his usual stiffness and regard for formalities, was really quite passionate with her. Oh yes, when they were with other people, she could see quite clearly the beginnings of the man who would go on to be the cruel potions master, but when they were alone, there was a friendliness to his snarky replies and cold features. Thinking of their intimacy caused her skin to flush.

Severus, ever the observant companion, noted the light pink gracing her cheeks. "What are you thinking about?" he whispered, leaning over to her close enough to cause his breath to tickle her neck.

"Nothing of great consequence," she whispered back.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Severus questioned lowly, giving her a knowing look.

"A bit," she admitted. As it were, the next day was not only Halloween, but a Hogsmeade trip as well. Which only meant one thing: she would have to Lucius Malfoy again. The thought made her shiver.

"Let's take a walk," he suggested, rising from his seat. Helena jumped off the armrest with a little hop, smoothing her skirt back down over her knees. At their standing, Narcissa went to move from her spot as well. Helena's heart dropped a bit, causing her to grimace before recovering. She really wanted to speak to Severus alone about Lucius; Narcissa just wouldn't be able to understand, seeing as she was completely blind to any negative feature of her betrothed. Severus seemed to have notice the change in her demeanor, because he quickly shook his head, lifting his hand to stop her movements. "Alone," he said simply.

Narcissa raised her perfect eyebrows at the two of them. "Very well," she said, before continuing her conversation with Warren Avery, Reggie, and Pandora.

Helena sighed in relief. As they walked out of the room, she squeezed his hand. "Thank you," she breathed out.

"Where would you like to walk to?" he questioned, standing in the corridor, unsure of which way to go.

"The Black Lake?" she questioned.

Severus let out a huff. "I'll never understand why you insist on walking around in the cold for _enjoyment_," he sneered. Helena rolled her eyes at his tone. "Very well. Let us go freeze to death." Before starting in the direction to the entrance hall, Severus cast _Muffliato_.

"I suppose that means you wish to talk?" she questioned.

"Obviously," he scowled. "I am. . . aware that you were severely uncomfortable in the presence of Lucius last time we went to Hogsmeade. I thought for certain you would have discussed it with me already, but you have not. Surely you have an opinion on the matter, as you do for everything."

"You're right. I do," she said softly.

"Well then out with it, witch," he commanded exasperated. "I have never seen you bite your tongue before. I don't see why you insist on doing it in this matter now."

Helena sighed. "I don't want to offend you, Severus," she said carefully.

"That is ridiculous, Helena. The only thing that offends me is idiocy and stupidity," he pointed out.

"Yes, Severus, I know," she said, rolling her eyes. "I just – I'm afraid it's a sensitive topic for you," she said seriously.

"Let me decide that," Severus said.

She took a calming breath. "Okay," she conceded. "Well, I don't particularly like him, Severus."

"That much is already obvious, Helena," he said dryly.

Helena shook her head, nostrils flaring quickly in irritation. "You're not making this easy for me."

"I don't understand what you mean by that."

"I mean," she huffed, "I've only not discussed this in great detail with you because I didn't want to argue with you."

"That is the second ridiculous thing I have heard come out of your mouth in less than a minute. We're going to argue, Helena, that much is inevitable. If not about this, then something else. So let us argue. And afterwards you can call me a great git, and I can call you an insufferable know-it-all, and then we can move on."

Helena sighed in defeat. "I guess it is a bit unreasonable to try to keep us from fighting."

"Ah, there's the sensible witch I know," he replied.

She chuckled, biting her lip before starting. "I don't like him," she said plainly. "I think he is awful and conceited, and I don't think that he deserves you as a friend or Narcissa as a wife. I think his opinion on politics and society and especially women are foul and loathsome. I hate that he just expects people to hang onto every word that he says, and for women to be silent. His beliefs are completely outdated and hideous."

Severus looked deep in contemplation for a moment. "He is conceited, and his views on women are outdated; I will give you those two things. . ." he said, trailing off.

"But?" Helena poked.

"Narcissa is well aware of what she is getting. In their society, it is simply the way of things. Muggles have a saying, 'children are to be seen, not heard.' The saying is the same in Pureblood society, though more often than not, it is extended to include wives. Men get married to have an heir, and women get married for financial security; it is simply the way of things, Helena. Surely this is not the first time you are hearing about gender roles. Do they not have them in your tribe as well? I believe you said your mother is expecting her fourteenth son."

"What does my mother carrying her fourteenth son have to do with any of this?" she questioned, frustrated.

"Tell me, Helena, why does your family only count how many sons they have?"

She let go of his arm, throwing her hands up in agitation. "Because, well – they just do! I don't know! They've done so for years."

"Exactly my point. And so have the purebloods," he countered.

Helena's stomach jolted with nerves. "But they don't treat me any differently." At least, she didn't think they would. She really couldn't be too certain; she hadn't even met her brothers yet.

"Of course they don't. They're your parents," he said, oddly patient.

"Fine," she conceded in a huff. "Let's get back to Narcissa. I still don't like how he treats her."

"I can't say that I am not uncomfortable at times with his treatment of her. But she has been brought up to expect his conceit and arrogance," he explained. "It's what is expected of a wife."

"So one day, if you have a wife, you will expect the same?"

Severus seemed taken back with her question. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Will I expect my future wife to stroke my ego and worship me as a god? No, of course not."

"Why do I feel inclined to say but?"

He cleared his throat again. "But in certain company, on certain topics, with certain things, yes; I will expect her to be silent."

Helena abruptly quit walking, her mouth open in disbelief. "Is that how you would have me be, Severus? Silent and without an opinion or voice? Always biting my tongue? Always reining back my own intelligence to satisfy mans need to great?"

"That is the third ridiculous statement I have heard coming from you tonight. Have I ever required your silence or obedience? Have I ever demanded you to 'rein back your own intelligence?' That is absurd," he said, offended.

"You required my silence in the presence of Lucius! You never once included me in your conversation, and anytime I tried to speak, you quieted me! Don't think for one second I don't see your change in posture when I speak to Warren or Regulus or any man freely and confidently. You don't like it. I know you don't!" she yelled.

Severus winced at her tone of voice. "I said for us to argue, not to yell at each other," he said, deadly calm. Helena took a step back. The young man before her reminded her of her former potions master. His calmness set off alarms in her head, and suddenly she was overcome with the fear of losing house points or getting detention. "I do not yell at you, Helena. I wouldn't do you the dishonor." He took a step closer to her, causing her to take another step back. "Do not do it to me," he said, enunciating every other word sharply.

Helena was well aware that her fear was completely irrational, but still she couldn't help but feel it. She closed her eyes, taking a steadying breath. Her mind flashed the picture of Severus taking ragged breaths, with blood oozing from his neck. _Look at me, look at me, look at me_. . .

Severus shook her gently as he realized that she had suddenly gone far away. "Look at me," he said softly. Her eyes flew open, wide and watery. He let out a huff. "Why must you always cry?" he asked dryly.

Helena blinked back her tears. "I – I'm not crying, Severus. I'm sorry for yelling at you," she said, composing herself. She visibly swallowed, forcing the image of her dying professor out of her head. "The fact still remains. You did, and do all those things."

Severus sighed, offering his arm back to her. She timidly put it back in the crook of his arm; they continued walking, this time at much slower pace. "You are right. I do, but not for the reasons you believe, Helena," he explained. "I don't do it because I believe myself superior, or because I don't want to hear your thoughts and opinions. I do it because I am afraid. You don't want to draw the wrong attention. Believe me on that."

"What do you mean by that, Severus?"

"Bloody hell, Helena. The moment I told Lucius of your intelligence, he went to try to _recruit_ you. If they see you, if _he_ sees you as more than just a pretty young woman with good genes_, he'll want you_. And he won't stop until he has you, or you are buried in an unmarked grave. I do not want either fate to befall you."

"You're talking about Lord Voldemort?"

Severus hissed at the name. "Don't say his name," he bit out.

Helena stopped walking again, reaching for his left arm. Quickly, she pulled his sleeve up. _Nothing_. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You're not a death eater yet."

"No, of course not. The Dark Lord has no need for school children," he said, pulling down his sleeve.

Helena kept back her retort, thinking about the task that young Draco would be given. "So you're trying to protect me?"

"I thought that much was obvious," he sighed.

"Fine. Around Lucius, I will be quiet. And I will try my best to keep my opinions to myself around the other male snakes. But let me make myself perfectly clear: I am not doing this because you want me to, nor am I in need of your protection; I am completely capable of taking care of myself. I will do this because I do not wish to draw attention to myself. And for only that reason, Severus. I mean it."

"I thought we take care of each other? That's what you told me a few weeks back. You take care of me, and I take care of you. I thought that's how it went? That's all I'm trying to do, Helena," he defended himself.

At that, she softened. "You're right," she sighed. "I appreciate all you have done for me, Severus. You have always gone above and beyond to make me feel welcome, despite not having any requirement to do so."

"Sometimes it confuses me," he admitted quietly. "I'm not usually like this with people. I – I'm not nice."

Helena looked up at him, taking in his features. Walking beside her was the man who would risk everything, all for love. All for Lily. '_Not for you_,' a voice inside her head whispered, reminding her of the ever looming fact that he loved Lily – will always love Lily. But in that moment, none of that really mattered to her. Surely he didn't truly believe he was unkind? Sure, he wasn't the type of guy that she would describe as good. He wasn't like Harry or Mr. Weasley. But he wasn't _bad, _either. Perhaps this was why she was here. Perhaps she was here to remind him that he was better than what he believed himself to be. "Severus, I'm well aware you are not the nicest person around here. But you're not _bad_. A bad person wouldn't have done what you have done for me. You became my friend, introduced me to yours, defended me when I was hurt. . . A bad person doesn't do those things."

He scowled. "Maybe I did all of those things for selfish reasons."

"Like what? Trying to get in close with my uncle?" she bit back sarcastically.

His frown lines creased deeper, his lip curling up in disgust. "Of course not. You know my opinions of the old man."

"Then what are you referring to, Severus? What selfish reasons?"

"I won't say it, Helena. I am not an idiot. You can't make me tell you," he said softly.

"You sound like a child!" she exclaimed.

"Nonetheless, my answer is the same. I won't tell you my reasons, but you should know that they are not completely honorable."

"I don't believe that. Not for one second, Severus Snape. If this is your attempt to make me believe you are a bad person, you are failing miserably. You won't convince me otherwise."

"You may think whatever you like. I already know I am incapable of changing your mind."

Helena huffed. She knew a lost cause when she saw one. Finally, they stepped outside. He pulled her closer to him as they were hit with a cold wind. "Okay, let's go back to Lucius," she said, determined to steer the conversation back to its original topic. "So you agree that he is conceited with outdated beliefs on women. I have agreed to be silent in his company. Am I to assume you agree with his politics?"

Severus sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Most of them."

"Well, I already know what Lucius believes, so what do you disagree with him about?"

"Muggleborns," he said straightly.

"So you are not of the opinion that Muggleborns are a danger to wizarding society and should be terminated?"

"No, I am not."

"Then –" she hesitated. "Then why do you want to become a death eater? Isn't that what they want to do? Eradicate muggleborns?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought we were talking about Lucius."

"Okay," she conceded, deciding to save that topic for another time. "I concede. It's a topic we can discuss at another time."

"If you wish," he replied dryly. They walked in silence towards the black lake. "I am sorry," Severus said, breaking the silence. "I am sorry that you are having such a hard time adjusting. I am sure these types of situations make you miss home very much."

Of course she missed home. She just wasn't quite sure where home was supposed to be right now. "Yes, I do," she said, deciding to remain vague in her answers. "I miss it very much."

He pulled her closer to him as they walked the lake's edge. "You are going back for Christmas, yes?"

"Yes, I am. Though, they don't really celebrate Christmas."

"What do you celebrate?"

"Winter Solstice."

"Ah," he said, before drifting back into a comfortable silence.

After a while, Helena started to chuckle softly. "So does this mean our fight is over?"

"I should hope so," he said, a rare smile growing on his face.

"Good. I'm glad, you great git," she joked, shoving him gently with her shoulder.

"I am too, you insufferable know-it-all."

* * *

_October 31__st__, 1977; The Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade; 12 PM. _

Severus Snape found himself biting back a chuckle that threatened to come out as he felt Helena squeeze his hand tightly under the table. Lucius, for all his stature and status, was making a complete and utter fool of himself. And poor Helena, she was doing her best to keep quiet through it all. Severus knew she was doing all she could to keep herself from opening her mouth. He resolved to thank her for her determination to follow through on her promise later when they were alone. Hopefully, that would be less than an hour from now. They had already sat with Lucius and Narcissa for an hour, and Severus found himself growing increasingly tired of his constant peacocking.

"You are rather lucky, Severus," Lucius said suddenly.

"Am I?" Severus responded, wondering what he was referring to.

"Yes, you are. To have found a young lady of such a high degree. Of course, not high enough for someone like me, but she will do nicely for you."

Severus grit his teeth, digging his fingers into Helena's knee. His wand hand twitched, and he had to stop himself from hexing the man sitting in front of him. "Thank you," he bit out.

"Have you discussed a bride price with her family yet? You'll want to make sure you are present when they check to make sure her virginity is intact. Perhaps even insist you are the one to do the spell. Families have been known to lie all the time," he said, completely ignoring Narcissa's embarrassed gasp, or Helena's reddened cheeks.

Severus glanced at Helena; if she were a character in a muggle cartoon, steam would have been blowing out of her ears. She locked his hand in a death grip. He was certain she was squeezing hard enough to break a bone or two. He had to get her out of there quick. Even he could not expect her to be silent during such blatant disrespect. "I will keep that in mind, Lucius," he said, rising up from his seat. "As delightful as this has been, I am afraid it must be cut short. I just remembered Helena and I have some revision to do before tomorrow. I must insist that we go at once." He turned to Helena. "Come along. I will not be responsible for your failing Transfiguration." He offered her his hand, helping her stand up from her chair.

Lucius looked at them in confusion. "Surely you don't have to leave just yet, Severus!"

"Oh come on, Severus! Don't pull Helena away from Hogsmeade today. We barely just got here," Narcissa pouted, eager to keep her two best friends with her. She looked to Helena expectantly, attempting to persuade her with her eyes to stay.

Severus stared harshly at Helena, hoping that she will understand and go along with his lie. Luckily, she picked up rather quickly. "I'm sorry, Narcissa, truly. But Severus is right. We really must be going."

To Severus' frustration, Lucius seemed to be amused. He sarcastically clapped his hand three times, chuckling in delight. "Well-bred AND obedient, Severus! Well done, my friend. Well done!"

Helena growled softly. It wasn't loud enough for anyone but Severus to hear, but he doubted that her next noise would be so quiet. "Enjoy your afternoon, Lucius." He nodded his head before bowing slightly to Narcissa. "Narcissa," he said in acknowledgment.

He escorted Helena out of the pub quickly. "I'm so sorry," he said, the words rushing out of his mouth like a water gushing from a fall as the cold air hit them. "I promise, if you even allow me another moment of your time after enduring such arrogance and ignorance, I will never ask you to spend another Hogsmeade day with him ever again. I give you my word, Helena."

She sighed in relief. "Thank you, Severus. It took all of me to bite my tongue. I wanted so badly to hex that horrible, horrible man!"

"Me too, dear. More times than one did my wand hand twitch." Severus ran his hand through his hair. "I'm so sorry. We will have to head back to the castle."

"It's okay, really. I don't mind. Not at all. I've seen Hogsmeade enough," she said quickly, not realizing her slip.

Luckily, Severus didn't seem to notice to notice the implication. "Seen Hogsmeade enough? You've been here twice, and both times we have left early. I'm so sorry. I cannot apologize enough. Next time, I promise, next time, we will stay all day and I will shower you with all the books and chocolate you could ever want."

Helena sighed in relief, knowing that her mistake went well over his head. "That won't be necessary, Severus. I'm more than happy to spend my day with you, no matter how it is spent, be that at Hogsmeade or Hogwarts."

"You are an angel, Helena. I do not deserve you," Severus said. And truly, he meant it. He was certain that if it had been any other girl, if it had been Lily and not Helena, she would have yelled and screamed and hexed before storming off, never to speak to him again, no matter how much he groveled or apologized. Helena truly was special.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will see you on Tuesday.

Please review!


	10. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just enjoy playing with the characters.

* * *

_November 4__th__, 1977; Library, Hogwarts; 7 PM. _

As Severus Snape read the text in front of him, he felt rather uncertain. Uncertain of his feelings; uncertain of his emotions; uncertain of his own physical response. He looked over to the young woman sat beside him, and considered her for a moment. She sat there with her dark hair, long and curly pulled to the top of her head with a blue ribbon, her lips moving unconsciously fast as she worked through her arithmancy extra credit problems. With her hair messy, and her mouth moving in a frenzy, she was certainly a fearsome sight to behold. Nobody could deny her beauty or intelligence, even with her in such a crazed state. Yet, it was for those very reasons he was feeling so very uncertain. His uncertainty did not come from him attempting to deny his feelings for her, or his natural desires to her. No, he knew he would be a fool to even think to do such a thing. His uncertainty came from his feelings for another; his feelings for Lily.

His feelings for Lily were incomparable to his feelings for Helena. The major reason being that with Helena, his heart simply wasn't in it. His mind, his body, his magic, and perhaps if he ever been a religious person he would even go as far as saying – his soul, was in it without a doubt. But no, never his heart. Try as he may, he could not convince his heart to feel for her as he felt for Lily. Certainly he cared for Helena. Certainly he never wanted to hurt her, and wanted to keep her from everybody and anything that could ever do such a thing to her. But certainly, he did not love her. Not because he didn't want to, or because she was not worthy of it, but because he simply could not. At least, not like he loved Lily. Never like Lily.

He knew all this, but selfishly, he let the relationship progress. Selfishly, he did not want to give up the way she made him feel. She made him feel important; she made him feel whole. Really, it was the strangest thing to Severus. Touching her, kissing her, being with her, it all seemed so natural with her. What he tried to force with Lily, was so normal with Helena. So how could he give that up? How could he send her away, hurting her, breaking her trust? He couldn't, and so he wouldn't. Many of the relationships around him were built on trust and respect. It was considered luck if love ever came to be involved. No, he would keep her, and offer to her only the things that he could give. It would just have to be enough.

At least, that's what Narcissa tried to convince him of Halloween night after dropping Helena off at her common room. After what happened with Lucius that day, and the way she reacted so kindly to it, Severus had been somehow convinced himself throughout the rest of the day that perhaps he should break it off with her. When Narcissa heard what he was thinking, she nearly pummeled him. She made him promise to just give it time. He wasn't certain how much time would help, but perhaps Narcissa was right. Perhaps all he needed was a bit of time.

* * *

_December 1__st__, 1977; Great Hall, Slytherin Table, Hogwarts; 12 PM. _

"Will you be at the classroom tonight, Helena?" Warren Avery questioned, sitting across from her and Severus.

"Today's Thursday, remember?" she replied.

"Ah, yes, Thursday evening tea with your dear uncle Albus," he sneered.

"He's really not so bad, Warren, once you get to know him," Helena defended, knowing that her defenses would fall on deaf ears.

"If you say so, Helena," he said, before turning to converse with William Mulciber about quidditch.

"So who do you think you'll get for a partner for the end of year project? I know it doesn't start till after the new year, but I heard Professor McGonagall was going to be announcing partners by the end of next week," Narcissa asked Helena.

"I don't know. Pandora and I have transfiguration with the Gryffindors, and I heard she was going to pair up people from different houses to promote unity," Helena responded. "Hopefully none of the marauders."

Severus sneered. "It would be just like them, too. I bet you'll get paired with one of them, anything to make sure her little lions pass."

"Well, if either one of them think they could get partnered with me and give me all their work to do, they should think again. I won't do their homework. I won't," she said passionately. Seeing as there were six Gryffindors and only four Ravenclaws, the chances of getting one of them were very high.

Severus stabbed at the piece of fish on his plate, causing a loud clank. Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Oh don't worry, Helena. If they try to get you to do all the work, Severus here will just beat them up for you," she said sarcastically.

Helena chuckled, "Hopefully he won't have to."

"As long as you don't get Black, I'll be fine," Severus grumbled.

"I hardly think I can control that, Severus."

"If you say so, Helena," Severus replied dryly.

Helena rolled her eyes. "So, Cissa, have you picked out a dress for the New Year's ball?" she questioned, deciding it best to change the topic.

Narcissa's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands with enthusiasm. "Yes! I found the PERFECT dress last night. My mother sent me a catalogue yesterday morning after I told her that I hadn't found one yet. I'll have to show you a picture of it sometime, when Severus," she stared at him pointedly, "isn't there to see it."

"I am sorry to disappoint you ladies with my presence. As you well know, Cissa, it is at the behest of your betrothed I do not leave you unaccompanied. Say the word and I will allow you girls some time to do whatever it is girls enjoy to do in their free time," he sneered.

"Oh stop it, Severus. She meant no offense to you," Helena admonished. "Cissa, I would love to spend some girl time with you! Just tell me when, and I'll be there."

"Oh, I so wish you were able to spend some time with me during Yule break! You know, Lucius told me I could invite you to stay at the Manor with me. Won't you consider it, Helena?" Narcissa pleaded.

Helena let out a huff. "I'm sorry, Cissa. I already told you, my mother is due sometime during break. I promised I would attend to her during her birth."

Narcissa grimaced. "I still don't understand why you would want to do that. Childbirth really is a nasty thing."

"Narcissa, we've already been over this," Severus said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Childbirth and rearing is an _honor_ to Helena and her family."

"Well of course childbirth is an honor. Don't act like I won't fulfill what is required of me. Lucius will get his heir, and I will get my baby. It doesn't mean I want fourteen children and will insist for my own child to watch." Narcissa said offensively.

Helena's eyes widened. It wasn't like that's what _she_ wanted to do, not at all. She couldn't imagine having so many children, but she wasn't against other people doing it if that is what they wanted to do, neither did she really appreciate the implied insult to her new family, not when they had done so much for her.

Severus slammed his hand down on the table. "Narcissa, you will be quiet!" he said impatiently.

Narcissa rolled her eyes, unbothered by his outburst. "What? You want fourteen sons, Severus?"

"Of course not," Severus said quickly. He turned to look at Helena who had been rather quiet on the matter. "It's just not done here," he said gently, thinking that perhaps his opinion would offend her.

"Why are you looking at me, Severus?" Helena questioned. "I never said I wanted that many kids."

"Oh, well I just assumed. . ." Severus trailed off.

"Well, you assumed wrong," she said defensively. "To my parents, to my tribe, fertility is a gift. Contraception is looked down upon, yes, but it's not prohibited."

"Oh," Severus said.

An awkward silence passed for a beat. "Well," Narcissa chirped. "Now that that is out of the way. . . Are you sure I can't convince you to come with me, Helena?"

"I'm sorry, but I really must be with my family."

Narcissa looked to be in thought for a moment. "Well what if she has the baby before New Year's? We have to be back here the fourth anyway, so what's leaving a few days early?"

"Th- There will be a lot to do with the new born, Cissa," Helena stuttered. "They don't just take care of themselves."

"Obviously," Narcissa said, rolling her eyes.

"Quit talking and start eating, Cissa. Lunch is almost over," Severus said, pointing towards the now mostly empty seats around them.

"Fine," Narcissa huffed.

* * *

_December 1__st__, 1977; Headmasters Office, Hogwarts; 7:30 PM. _

"Tea, dear?" Albus Dumbledore asked Helena, gesturing to the pot of freshly brewed tea set upon his desk.

"Yes, thank you, Uncle," Helena replied.

"So tell me, how was your week?" he prodded, pouring a cup for her and levitating it towards her.

"It's been well, Uncle," she said unconvincingly, stirring in a teaspoon of honey.

"Oh?"

She brought the cup to her lips and sipped. Placing the cup back on it's saucer, she let out a sigh. "Well, maybe not," she began. "Narcissa wants me to join her at Malfoy Manor for the New Year."

"Is that so? Well, I'm happy you are making such good friends," he said, the twinkle in his eye dulling softly, alluding to his disdain.

"I've told her that I cannot go, Uncle; you need not worry. But I guess I am a bit unsettled."

Uncle Albus let out a breath of relief. "Why is that, dear one?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she questioned. "It's because of _him_. _He'll_ be there if I go."

"Ah, you speak of Tom Riddle."

"Yes, Uncle. I – I do not want to face him. I fear I cannot, yet also that perhaps I might have to at some point."

"Hm. . ." he said thoughtfully. "What makes you believe so?"

"Severus," she answered quickly.

"Ah, Severus. Yes, I would imagine that if you continue you – er, association with him, you might have to run into Tom a few times."

"How can you say that so casually?" she asked, distressed.

"I do not fear him, Helena, and neither should you," he said, peering over his half-moon spectacles.

"But I do," she said softly.

"That is understandable. However, it might be rather difficult to continue down the path you are now and be able to avoid Tom."

"But don't you understand why I'm scared to see him? What if he looks into my mind? What if he sees something I do not wish for him to see?"

Uncle Albus speculated for a moment. "I believe, if you are willing to trust me on this, that perhaps you do not need to be afraid of that. It is my belief that, given your special circumstances, no one will be able to see that which you do not wish them to."

"You believe I will be able to occlude, sir?"

"In a way, dear."

"What makes you draw that conclusion?"

"I cannot see what I want to see," he said.

Helena reared back. "You mean you have tried to look into my mind?"

"You cannot blame in old man for his curiosity, Helena."

"That's an invasion of privacy!" she exclaimed.

"I will not deny that, but it's really no matter. I only tried to see the outcome. I only tried to see what you already know."

"You should know I cannot tell you that."

"Yes, I suppose I should; however, even I can make mistakes."

"I'm well aware of that, Professor," she spat out harshly.

Albus Dumbledore looked taken aback before regaining his posture quickly. "I'm sorry, my dear, if I have hurt you in any way. I can assure you, it couldn't have been my intention."

"I would have to disagree, _uncle_. You have hurt many people with full intention to do so – for the greater good."

"Then the situation must have been grave, indeed."

Helena softened. "Yes, it was."

"Hmph. . . I know a dead end when I see one, dear. Perhaps we should get back to our original topic?"

"Of course," she said respectfully. "Regardless of his capability to see my mind, I do not know if I want to see him. I do not know if I can bear it."

"I believe you are a lot stronger than you think, dear one."

"Perhaps," she said thoughtfully. "Though I believe my original statement still stands. I will not spend New Year's with Narcissa."

"I believe your decision to be wise, Helena. I know Gabriel and Chemli will appreciate you staying for your full break."

"Yes, I do believe you are right," she agreed.

* * *

_December 9__th__, 1977; Transfiguration Classroom, Hogwarts; 1 PM. _

Helena slammed her textbook and stuffed her notes harshly into her book bag. Usually, she would recoil if she saw someone treating knowledge in such a way, but really she couldn't help it. _How could this be happening? Why did she have to have_ him?

"Hey, Dumbledore," Sirius said smugly, peering of her shoulder.

"What do you want, Black?"

"Ah, so I'm Black now, am I?" he questioned.

"I'm only returning your pleasantries," she said sarcastically.

"Come on, Helena, I'm not that bad. Surely."

"You think too highly of yourself."

"You know, everyone seems to like you, and I just can't seem to understand why," he sneered. "You're a right bitch."

Helena's blood ran through her veins as if it was on fire. She turned around quickly, glaring fiercely at Sirius. "Is that how you speak to a lady?"

"Can you even be considered a lady when you're with a guy like Snape?" he bit back.

"What is up with you and Severus? The way you talk about him constantly makes it seem like you have some sort of crush on him," she said, breaking the mounting tension in the room.

Sirius scoffed. "I do not have a crush on him." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You should know I only go for the ladies."

Helena rolled her eyes. "If you're referring to Marlene, I don't think you can really call her a _lady_."

"Ouch," Sirius said, grabbing at his chest sardonically. "Why so harsh, Helena?"

"Oh?" she questioned. "So I'm Helena know, am I?"

"Oh come on. Lighten up, would you?"

"For you? No," she said, turning back to grab her book bag. "I think not." She took a step closer to him. "Need I remind you that last time I had a full conversation with you, you left me crying, in the cold, for _hours_ before anyone would come to find me?"

His facial muscles relaxed. "If it counts for anything, I am sorry if I hurt you."

"It's not _IF_ you hurt me; you _did_ hurt me. You practically insinuated I was a death eater!"

"Well I wouldn't have if you didn't keep company with the junior death eaters themselves!" he said defensively.

"Oh so I am guilty by association? By that logic, so are you!"

"I was disinherited for my beliefs! I don't associate with them anymore."

Helena deflated. "Look, it's obvious we're not going to agree on this. So let's do this instead. Let's just decide that the following day after we return for next term, we will meet at the Library after dinner, and discuss a meeting schedule for our project, yes?"

"A meeting schedule?" he questioned.

"Yes, a meeting schedule. I won't do all the work." He chuckled in response. "Stop that! I'm serious!"

"No, I am," he said jokingly.

Helena crossed her arms disapprovingly. "Does that usually work for you?" she said, pursing her lips.

"Usually," he admitted.

"Well not for me. If you want your name on the project, you have to do the work with me. End of discussion."

"Fine," he said, admitting defeat. "But it can't interfere with my quidditch schedule."

Helena rolled her eyes. "Fine. It won't."

"Good," he said. He turned to leave the room, sauntering over to the classroom door. "Have a nice break, Dumbledork."

"Ha," she said sarcastically. "Very original," she muttered.


	11. Chapter Ten

Hello! I am sorry I am over two months late with this update. Everything is SO busy right now, but hopefully things are slowing down. I will be posting one chapter a week again, but possibly more so still be on the look out. This chapter is mostly dialogue as I didn't want it to be too long and a lot is explained in this chapter about soul mates. So without further ado - here is the new chapter! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

_December 25, 1977; Somewhere in Oklahoma, USA; 9 PM._

Helena looked up at the stars above her from her comfortable position in the soft, damp grass. There was a time in her life that she had believed there was nothing more wonderful than the night sky, but she had been so wrong; no, there was nothing more wonderful than watching a new life come into the world. Granted, it was also sort of gross. . . But all the bodily fluids and pained screams quickly faded away as she helped catch her new baby brother. As she watched Chameli hold the still bloody and slimy baby to her chest, Gabriel had come busting through the door, not being able to wait another moment to be with his beloved wife. Suddenly, Helena felt like she was witnessing an intimate and private moment between the two very clearly in love with each other. She had excused herself silently and made her way to the great outdoors. And so she laid there, looking up at the stars above, enjoying the sense of peace she had felt ever since arriving in the States. She knew within her heart of hearts that this place would be her home for however long she would stay in this time, and if she was lucky – perhaps even afterwards. She was tempted to just stay. No one would think anything of it. Perhaps she too could settle down in the tribe, start a family, and enjoy the quiet and simple life that Gabriel had found here – far away from any war. At least here she would not be constantly surrounded by people she knew to be dead. Here, there was no battle. There were no ghosts. Alas, she knew she could not stay. She had to go back. To stay was just a wish that would never end up fulfilled.

Her thoughts were broken off as Gabriel silently laid next to his daughter that he had always wanted. "You didn't have to leave, Helena," he said quietly.

"It was a moment for family," she replied back.

"You're family too."

"Don't say that," she whispered, allowing tears to come to her eyes.

"Why not?" he questioned, propping his head on his elbow to look her in the face.

"Because you'll make it harder for me to leave."

"You don't want to leave?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Shaking her head, she whispered through the tears, "No."

"Then stay," he insisted. "You can stay. You can have a life here. There is no Dark Lord in Oklahoma, Helena."

"I can't."

"Tell me why not," he challenged.

"This is home. I know this is home. I can feel it in my bones. But people aren't meant to stay home for forever," she explained. For a moment they both were silent, the weight of what she had said sinking in. "I have to go. I cannot stay," she reiterated.

"Well then in that case, you must go. But promise you will visit."

"Anytime that I can," she promised.

"I suppose that will have to be enough for me." Silence emerged again, lingering as they both looked at the night sky. "You know," Gabriel said, breaking the long quiet, "everyone always says how lucky I am to have so many sons. And I am, I know that that I am. I love your brothers very much. But I had always wanted a daughter, and I am so happy that I have one now. No matter the circumstances that surrounded your arrival into our family, I am happy you are here."

"Thank you," Helena replied genuinely.

"I am happy you feel like this is home, too."

"It's weird. Ever since arriving at Hogwarts, I get these gut feelings, and I just know that I have to follow them. I just know that they are true," she said, twirling the simple necklace around her neck with a charmed snake slithering around and around in a circle that Severus had sent her this morning as his Christmas gift.

"Really?" Gabriel question, intrigued at the implication. "What about?"

"Well about here obviously," she said before pausing. "But there is also a guy. . ." she drifted off, feeling heat rise to her face despite the crisp cold air around her.

"Am I to presume he gave you that necklace?" he asked, his expression turning serious.

"Yes," Helena confirmed shyly.

"The heart can be deceiving, Helena. You will do well to remember that," he cautioned.

"That's the thing though," she started. "I don't just feel it in my heart. It's different than that. The same way that I know this is home, I know that I am supposed to be with him."

"How so?"

"Do you believe in souls?" Helena questioned.

"I do."

"Well that's where I know it from. I know it in my soul."

"That's a heavy thing to know for one so young, Helena," he said seriously.

"I know it sounds silly," Helena said, feeling embarrassed.

"Actually, I don't think it does at all."

"What do you mean?" she questioned, turning to meet his eyes.

"In the tribe we have many legends. One of them is the legend of a soulmate. Though, it doesn't quite work out how many generic love stories made popular from fairytales."

"Then how does it work?" she asked, interested in gaining more knowledge.

"Well, most people think that because you are soulmates, you absolutely have to be with that person. That all of your happiness is dependent on them alone. But they are wrong. Happiness isn't dependent upon a person; happiness is a state of being. You choose to be happy, just as you choose who you will be with. The legend goes that everyone has a soulmate, somewhere out there made just for them. Only a few are lucky enough to find theirs, but it does happen," he explained, trailing off.

"How do you know that it happens?"

"Because I found mine," he stated simply.

"Chameli?"

"No, not Chameli."

Helena furrowed her brow in confusion. "I don't think I understand. Why would someone choose someone else, when they could choose their soulmate?"

"I am an old man, Helena. I am well over double Chameli's age. You have to understand that. I love her. I love her with my whole heart. She is everything to me. But she is not my soulmate, and nothing will ever be able to change that."

"If not her, then who?"

"I came here in 1905. I had just graduated Beauxbatons when Albus came to steal us away to America. He knew that Grindelwald would come after us. He was gaining power in Northern Europe, and it would have been only a matter of time before he found his way into France. It was dangerous for us to be there. Albus had offered to try to find a position for me at Hogwarts, but he felt certain that my mother needed to go into hiding. Between her late husband's early death and being disowned by her family after conceiving me, she was weak. She would have been an easy target. So I chose to go with her to America in hiding. I spent the next forty years here. I was fifty-seven years old, and had spent the last four decades wanting nothing more than to leave the tribe and go back to my life in France. Chameli was only ten at the time, much too young to have caught my eye. So the moment I heard of Grindelwald's defeat, I left for France. I helped rebuild the country after the damage Grandelwald had done to it. After five years of being there, that's when I met her. Eloise Bonnaire. She was a muggle girl from Paris, but I did not care much about that. She was beautiful, and the moment I saw her I knew that I had to be with her. Though she had no magic of her own, my own magic practically sung when I was near her. It was stronger, more powerful. She was in her early thirties, a widow from the German occupation of France during the muggle world war. I had a lovely year with her. In fact, I was getting ready to propose to her when I heard that my mother had fallen ill. After Grindelwald's defeat, she had opted to stay with the tribe, having found a family of sorts here. I couldn't let my mother die alone, but I couldn't bring Eloise with me. She never knew that I was wizard, so I explained to her as much as I could. I told her I had to go to the States to take care of my mother. She promised to wait for me, so I came back to France often to see her. I traveled back and forth for two years until I received a letter explaining to me that she had gotten married to another man. She told me that she had never loved another like she had loved me, but that she was happy with her new husband, and she wanted me to be happy too. Chameli was helping me take care of my mother at the time. I did not deserve her kindness, loyalty, or affection, yet she gave it to me anyway. She was seventeen, and her family was trying to set her up with a young man to marry, but she refused to marry any of them. She was determined to see my mother out to her final days. And she did just that. Six months later my mother had passed, and all the young men were already married. I was sixty-four years old, and convinced that I was much too old for her, but I felt a sense of duty towards her. She had given up her future to help me, to take care of my mother till her dying day. I could not allow her to grow old and alone as I had done. So I spoke to her father, telling him of my desire to marry her. He's over decade younger than me, so he was hesitant to agree to it, but he called her in, and sought what her desire was. When he had told her that I wanted to marry her, I'll never forget her reaction, Helena. She looked me in the eyes, and started to cry. For a moment, I was worried. I thought I had just made a complete fool of myself. But then she smiled. She smiled and I instantly knew what her answer was going to be. She said yes before running and hugging her father in excitement. She turned to me and promised me that she would be a good wife to me. That she would love me, take care of me, and give me sons. She has fulfilled that promise to me, and then some. I do not deserve her, but I will always endeavor to try." He reached over to brush Helena's face. "The past twenty-five years have been the best years of my life. Not because I have fourteen sons, with many of them being multiple births at a time. It's because I have her with me. Eloise is just a distant memory in my mind now. Yes, she is my soulmate, but she isn't my lifemate. She never has been and never will be. That's Chameli. And I love her with my whole heart."

"I thought you said that the heart can be deceitful?" Helena questioned.

"And it surely can be, but not always."

"So do you think that Severus is my soulmate? Like Eloise was yours?"

"It certainly sounds like it."

"Are there any books on it?" she asked uncertainly.

Gabriel chuckled. "Dear Helena, you can't learn everything from a book."

* * *

_December 27th, 1977; Somewhere in Oklahoma; 1 AM._

For the past few nights, Helena couldn't sleep. Her mind was consumed with what Gabriel had told her about soulmates. Were every pair of soulmates doomed to failure as he and Eloise had been? Does that mean Severus and her would also have that same fate? She had so many questions and not nearly enough answers. With a huff, she got out of bed and made her way down to the kitchen, thinking that perhaps a glass of milk would help her sleep. As she entered the kitchen, she noticed that a candle had already been lit in the room, and someone was already sitting at the table. When she heard a soft suckling noise and gentle cooing, she knew it was Chameli breastfeeding the new baby.

"Hello," Helena said softly, causing Chameli to turn her head to see her.

"Helena, dear. What are you doing awake at this hour?" she questioned, concern on her face.

"I couldn't sleep," Helena replied, making her way into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk.

"Seems like you haven't slept in a few nights."

Helena took her glass, and sat across from Chameli. "No, I haven't," she admitted.

Chameli gave her a look of sympathy. "I'm assuming it's about your talk with Gabriel the other night?" Helena looked up, surprised at her knowledge of their conversation. "Yes, I know about that, Helena. Gabriel tells me everything," she said with a chuckle. "What part of the conversation is bothering you? Is it because of Severus?"

"Honestly?" Helena hesitated, "Yes, it is. If he is my soulmate, does that mean we will not end up together like Gabriel and Eloise?"

Chameli didn't even flinch at the sound of Eloise's name. "I'd say that's up to you and him, Helena. Just as not all soulmates end up together, not all end up apart, either."

"So you're saying it's our choice?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," she confirmed, adjusting the attached newborn to the other nipple.

"Did you ever meet your soulmate?" Helena questioned.

"No," she answered quietly. "And quite honestly, it wouldn't make much of a difference even if I did. I love Gabriel. My life is with Gabriel. He has every part of me that is mine to give."

"Just not your soul?"

Chameli shook her head back and forth. "No, not my soul," she said, leaning over to grab Helena's hand. "But only because it's not mine to give. If it were, I would have given it to him already."

"What do you mean that it's not yours to give? Is not your soul your soul by the very definition?" Helena asked, confused.

"What is commonly referred to as a soul is really only half of a soul. You have one half, and your soulmate has the other half. It is said that our souls are the only part of us that is immortal. When we reach our afterlife, we will be connected with our soulmate, and will spend the rest of eternity ever intertwined with each other."

"So your afterlife will be spent with some unknown person, not Gabriel?" Helena asked.

"Yes," she replied softly.

"Doesn't that. . . I don't know. . . Upset you at all?"

"Why would it?"

"Well wouldn't you have rather to spend your life on earth with your soulmate, too?" Helena questioned.

"My dear, I have all of eternity to be with whoever that might be. But right now? I have Gabriel. And I wouldn't trade that for anything in all of the universe. Not even for my soulmate."

* * *

_January 4th, 1978; Somewhere in Oklahoma, USA; 7:28 AM._

Helena hung onto Gabriel, crying into his chest. She did not want to leave her new family. She did not want to leave her new home. Chameli stood a few steps behind Gabriel, cradling little Joshua with silent tears running down her face. Helena's other thirteen brothers stood watching, having already been given a tearful goodbye before her return to Hogwarts.

"I'm going to miss you, dear," Gabriel said.

"I'm going to miss you too," she said, pulling back to look around her. "I'm going to miss all of you."

Chameli stepped forward to place a hand on Helena's shoulder. "And we will miss you."

"Thank you," Helena said, squeezing Chameli's hand. "Thank you for everything."

"You are welcome here anytime," Chameli said, pulling her into one last hug.

Helena's international portkey started to glow as she pulled back from her mother. With a shaking hand, she grabbed onto the small, oddly shaped lampshade. As the familiar pull tugged at her naval, she gave a tearful smile; then, she was gone.

* * *

_January 4th, 1978; Headmasters Office, Hogwarts; 7:30 AM._

As Helena stood up from her shaky landing, she was offered a hand by her twinkling uncle. "Hello, dear one," he greeted, pulling her up with ease.

"Thank you, Uncle," she replied, wiping from her face the remaining tears from her departure.

"You are upset?" he questioned.

"Yes," she confirmed, still sniffling.

Albus Dumbledore led her to a chair, and sat beside her. "What about?" he asked sincerely.

"I – well, I wanted to stay."

Albus chuckled knowingly. "I'm rather surprised you didn't," he said.

"I couldn't. I had to come back," she explained quietly.

"Why is that, my dear?" he asked, though he was fairly certain he had already known the answer.

"Severus," she said simply.

Albus seemed uneased at her confession, though completely unsurprised. "I figured as much," he said. "I certainly didn't think you came back just to have Thursday evening tea with me."

"Uncle. . . I think. . . Well, I think he is my soulmate."

He let out a breath. "That does not surprise me, dear one. I take it you talked to Gabriel about Eloise?"

"You know about her?"

"Of course I do," he confirmed. "He is my brother, after all."

"Do you think it is true?" she questioned.

"Yes, I do."

"Do you have a soulmate?"

Albus hesitated. "Yes. . ." he faded off, taking a deep breath for confidence. "I met him long ago. But perhaps that is another story for another time. Let's go back to you and Severus, shall we?"

"What about us?"

"Are you certain about this?"

"I knew from the moment our skin first touched that I had a connection to him, much different than any I have ever had. My magic jumps at him. I can feel his magic vibrating through his veins. I feel whole when I am with him. Like maybe I'm not broken after all. I'm stronger when I'm with him. I never have been more certain about anything in my entire life," she said with conviction.

"Then I must caution you, Helena," he said gravely, his glittering eyes turning cold. "Severus will very likely become a Death Eater after he graduates. I know you have told me that I need to trust him, and I do. I trust that whatever his actions are now, his outcome will be for the greater good. But that doesn't make his actions in the present any less real. He can and will do many evil deeds, of that I am sure. Dark magic is persuasive. . . It is alluring. The power that comes with it is only amplified when performed together with a soulmate. You must avoid this at all costs. Whatever it takes."

"I will, Uncle. I promise," she swore.

* * *

Here it is! Please review!


	12. Chapter Eleven

Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for those who reviewed and favorited/followed. I so appreciate it! I am almost to fifty reviews and it would mean the world to me to get there with this update. Please let me know what you think of this story so far.

I wanted to mention two quick things:

1) Phase two of the story has officially started. So far I have five stages planned out, but there might be more depending on how long the story goes.

2) I'd like to point out that while writing this chapter I couldn't help but think that somewhere in Point Place, Wisconsin, Eric Foreman is in his basement hanging out with Donna, Jackie, Hyde, Kelso, and Fez. . . If anyone else is a That's 70s Show fan, hopefully that made you giggle as much as it did for me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

_January 4th, 1978; The Great Hall, Hogwarts; 6:30 PM._

Helena had that whole day to herself, as the other students taking the Hogwarts Express weren't to be expected until dinner time. She had spent her time searching the halls of the library, looking for anything that had to do with soulmates. Gabriel had her fairly convinced of the existence of them, but she wanted to be certain; she had to be certain, if she wanted Severus to believe her. She had decided that she would wait to tell Severus until there was something in a book somewhere that had been deemed reliable, whether it was a footnote, one sentence quotation, or a whole chapter on the matter – there had to be something. She had to fight back the disappointment of her empty hands as she sat down in the Great Hall, the returning students slowly making their way through the doors for dinner. Helena had to remind herself that Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was most research projects.

Pandora glided her way to the spot next to Helena, a huge smile covering her face. "How was your break, Helena? I'm sorry I wasn't able to write you much. . . International post is quite expensive."

"It's okay, Pandora. I understand," Helena replied back.

"That's the great thing about you, Helena. You always understand," she said sincerely, placing her hand over Helena's and giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze.

"So how was your break?" Helena asked.

"Oh it was wonderful! It's a shame that my mother passed over it, but it's okay really. One day, she will be reunited with my father and they will be able to be together again, but until then, my father is really quite devastated."

Helena stared in shock at the nonchalant girl sitting next to her. "Oh, Pandora! I'm so sorry!"

Pandora held up a hand to stop her apologies. "Really, Helena, it's okay. I was quite sad, and still am really, but life goes on," she said, staring deeply into Helena's eyes. "I would think you know that more than anyone."

Helena reeled back at her statement. "Yes," she said quietly. "I do."

Both the girls sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for the rest of students to file in and find a seat. Helena glanced across the Slytherin table, looking for her Severus and Cissa. They weren't too hard to find, sitting right next to each other, a stark difference between the twos appearance and disposition. When Cissa saw her staring, she waved happily to Helena and smiled widely, obviously excited to see her again. Severus looked up from his lap and offered Helena a smile that really looked very pathetic. "_Something must be wrong_," she thought to herself, twirling the pendant on her necklace around.

At the realization that she was wearing his necklace, he gave her another smile this time, much more genuine than the last. Helena gave Severus a little wave and happy smile, ready to be sitting next to him again. Not only had she missed him over the break, but she was fairly certain that her magic missed him as well. She was looking forward to their reunion later.

"Severus and Cissa are going to the classroom after dinner," Pandora stated.

"Do you want to go down there with me?" Helena asked.

"I'm sorry, Helena," she started, "I would, but I am meeting Reggie tonight near the black lake."

Helena wiggled her eyebrows suggestively when she noticed the blush creeping up on her friends face. "Oh really now?" she questioned. "Did you get to see him over break?"

"I did, actually. I went to the New Year's Eve ball at Malfoy Manor with him."

"What?" Helena questioned, shocked with the implication. "But. . . But I thought that," she paused, lowering her voice to a whisper, "I thought that you-know-who was going to be there?"

"Oh, he was," she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"How could you be so nonchalant about that, Pandora?"

"He didn't show up till close to midnight, and he didn't stay very long either. He seemed disinterested in the party, really. He did pull Severus aside though, and Reggie too."

Helena felt a shiver of cold fear run through her nervous system. "He pulled them aside?" she questioned, but didn't receive a response. Pandora had started placing food onto her plate, and was quick to start arranging them in an intricate pattern.

* * *

_January 4th, 1978; The Great Hall, Hogwarts; 6:45 PM._

There was really no way around the truth: Severus was depressed. Over the break he had formally met the Dark Lord, and after a very long interrogation, he was offered a place in his ranks upon completion of Hogwarts. The Dark Lord even had offered to pay for Severus to receive his mastery in potions. Really, Severus should had been happy – ecstatic even. But all he could think about was her. She had said that she liked him for who was, death eater or not; would she still mean that when a dark mark was on his left arm? And then there was the whole anchoring ceremony.

The Dark Lord had created the dark mark exclusively unique from all other types of magic. With a combination of both light and dark magic, there was really nothing like it in the magical world. The mark not only required a recipient, but also an anchor. The anchor was a third party, customarily a spouse, betrothed, or another type of significant other. The mark needed more than just his magic to bind into his skin, it needed another's as well. Severus had a feeling that the Dark Lord could have created the mark without this distinct feature, but chose not to. After all, the person you chose for your anchoring would be the person you care for most in the world, or at least one of them. It really was a rather good way of assuring a death eater's allegiance to his cause. During the ceremony, you practically had to reveal your heart and soul to one another in vows, all in front of the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord got to know all of your intimate secrets, and you were able to have someone you could share the weight of being a death eater with.

The Dark Lord had already seen Helena in his mind. He practically ordered Severus to have her be his anchor, but would she accept? Would she be willing? He did not know, and that scared him. The anchor had to come willing, that was crucial. But she was a Dumbledore. . . How could he expect her to come willing? What if she didn't? Would the Dark Lord be disappointed in him? He didn't want to fail the Dark Lord before he even was able to pledge his allegiance to him. Bad things happened to wizards who disappointed the Dark Lord. Most importantly, bad things happened to witches whose wizards disappointed the Dark Lord, and he couldn't let that happen to Helena. If she wasn't willing, he would just have to convince her. At that thought, she caught his eye from across the Hall, offering him a timid smile. He smiled back, but was well aware that it had probably been the most non-genuine smile he had ever given her. She starred at him, concern and care written blatantly on her features. At that, he gave her another smile, more meaningful than his last. He couldn't help it really. She so obviously cared about him, and that made Severus happy, even if only a little. It was all the happiness he had left really. He just hoped it would be enough.

January 4th, 1978; 4th Floor Empty Classroom, Hogwarts; 8 PM.

Helena and Severus sat silently in their chair, listening to the conversations around them. Pandora was talking to Reggie, and Narcissa was busy squealing with Glenda Parkinson about who was with who at the Malfoy's New Year's Eve ball from a few days before. On a normal evening, Helena and Severus would have been happily chatting along with their friends, or possibly having a quiet conversation involving just the both of them, but tonight was not a normal evening. While everyone continued on as if nothing of great importance happened during their winter break, Helena and Severus knew that wasn't true. There was heavy tension in the air, as suffocating as a humid day in July, only felt by the two of them. Helena was the first to break their mutual silence. "Severus," she said quietly, turning her head to look at him.

He looked over to her, taking the time look into her eyes before replying. "Yes?"

"Do you," she hesitated, "want to go for a walk?"

He nodded his silently, standing up from his seat, before reaching his hand out for her to take. Narcissa gave them a questioning look, but one glance at their grave disposition let her know that she was better off leaving them alone. As they left the room, no one said anything to them. There were no saucy catcalls or sarcastic whistles made their way. They all simply carried on their respective conversations, allowing the unusual couple their space.

As Severus closed the door behind him, he let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry," Helena said. "I just couldn't breathe in there."

"Me too," Severus confessed.

Helena took a breath for courage, deciding it would be better to jump into the conversation right away, like ripping off a band-aid. "Pandora told me you were pulled aside by you-know-who at the ball," she rushed out.

Severus' features darkened, and he cast a Muffilato before responding. "He did," he confirmed.

"So that's just it? You're going to become a death eater?" she accused. Helena had known. She had known all this time, but she didn't expect it to hurt this much. Professor Dumbledore had been right. Even though he ended up sacrificing his life for the greater good, it didn't change the pain that she felt from his present decisions. The determination in his eyes was all she needed to see. This wasn't Severus, her boyfriend and best friend; for that matter, this wasn't even Severus, her professor. This was Severus, the Death Eater.

"Yes, Helena. That is just it. I am going to become a death eater," he replied coldly.

"Why? Why would you want to follow that horrible madman?" she questioned, searching his eyes. "Please, please explain to me why. I need to know why."

He took a step away from her, glaring down at her. "Don't act like you didn't know this was going to happen, Helena. I told you who I was. I told you who I wanted to become," he said. "_Oh, I like you for who you are, Severus. . . Death eater or not_," he mimicked her sarcastically, frustrated at her sudden change of stance.

Her face crumbled at his response, and he tried to swallow down the pang it made him feel in his chest. "I know I said that, Severus," she said quietly. "And I meant it. But it doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt." She took a step closer to him, nearly closing the gap between them. She couldn't bring herself to look at his face, so she stared into his chest instead, imagining the beating heart beyond his ribcage. She placed her hand on top of it, feeling the consistent thump under her palm. "Explain it to me," she pleaded.

"At first, it was just because I wanted to," he admitted, letting out a shaky breath. "Slytherin house has been my home. My housemates have been the only family I have truly known. It was expected of me. Ever since my first year, when Lucius took an interest in me. Taking the mark," he paused, trying to find the right words to explain. "Taking the mark was what I have been groomed to do. Lucius told me of the power that came with it. And I wanted that. And Helena, I would be lying if I said that I still didn't want that, because a part of me does. But that's not the only reason why I am doing it. I know you don't approve, but you're going to have to learn to be okay with it. I _need_ you to be okay with it. I have to join. If I don't join, he'll kill me," he admitted, brushing his hand down her cheek to her chin, gently lifting her face to look at him. "If I don't join, he'll kill _you_." The realization hit her suddenly, and that was the moment she knew. He had joined to protect her, but he had left to protect Lily. Lily; it always ended with Lily. "He knows about you, Helena. He wants to meet you," he admitted softly.

"What?" she said, shaking her head in fear. "I can't meet him, Severus."

"Helena, I need you to. You have to. Bad things happen to people who disappoint him."

"When?" she asked in a whisper.

"Over the Easter holidays."

"That's not even three months away," she stated, her voice giving way to emotions, wondering what on earth she had gotten herself into.

* * *

_January 5th, 1978; Slytherin 7th Year Boys Dormitory, Hogwarts; 5 AM._

Severus couldn't sleep. No matter what he tried, the unease he felt would not relent. At the understanding that she was going to meet the Dark Lord, Helena had looked so broken, and he couldn't help but feel responsible for her cracks. If only he had never walked in on her crying in Moaning Myrtles bathroom all those months ago; she would have been safe. Or at least as safe as a Dumbledore could be in wizarding England. If he hadn't accepted her offer of friendship, if he hadn't felt a pull to the stupidly intelligent girl, she wouldn't be meeting the Dark Lord over the Easter holidays. She would probably be going to the Potter's, fitting in easily with the golden Gryffindors. She'd be dating Black, or maybe even Lupin, and they would have been able to protect her, and not be throwing her into the snake den themselves. But what was he supposed to do? He was already in too deep. The only way to go was forward; there were no other routes, no other options. He promised himself that he would do whatever it took to protect her, no matter the cost, even if it meant throwing her into the front lines of danger.

January 17th, 1978; Transfiguration Classroom, Hogwarts; 10 AM.

Helena huffed as she took her seat in what was fast becoming her least favorite class, all because of one person: Sirius Black. How one man could be so annoying was a question she tried to answer many a time. None of her answers did the conceited, arrogant man justice.

"Hey there, sweetheart," Sirius said, sliding confidently into the seat next to her.

"Stop calling me that," she bit out, anger already steaming out.

"Oh wow, I think we've broken a record. Shall I contact the Wizarding World Record book? I can see it now. From zero to furious in zero point four seconds, Helena Dumbledore's reaction to the charming Sirius Black!"

"Charming?" she scoffed. "Is that what you call yourself?"

"Oh no, that's just what the ladies like to call me," he explained. "I personally like to call myself wonderful! Magnificent! The sexiest bod to ever walk these halls! Oh wait. . ." he trailed off. "The ladies also call me that too," he said with a wink.

"It's a wonder you can even get through a doorway with such a big head, Sirius Black," she said.

"Oh, if you think my head is big, wait till you see my. . ." he said, before getting cut off by Professor McGonagall calling the class to attention.

"Alright class, let's begin. I trust that you have been working on your end of year project regularly with your assigned partner. Today, you will take the duration of your class to continue your work, as I make my way around the room checking in on your progress. I caution you not to believe that you have plenty of time. End of term will be here before you know it. You may start now," she said, making her way to the table with Remus and Pandora sat.

"Where are your notes?" Helena questioned, as Sirius weaved his hands behind his head and reclined comfortably in his chair.

"My notes?" he asked, bating her frustration.

She roughly pushed her notes in front of Sirius. "You know? These notes! The notes you were supposed to make over the weekend?"

"Oh, those!" he exclaimed, leaning forward to look at hers. "Well why would I do that when you did such a thorough job already?"

"Because," she said through gritted teeth, "we were supposed to compare our notes to map out our plan of action."

"But dear, it already looks like you did that," he said with a smirk.

Helena rolled her eyes and huffed. "If you don't start researching and taking your own notes right now, when Professor McGonagall makes her way to our table, I'll tell her the only thing you have contributed to our project is your lack of respect for education and your project partner," she threatened.

"Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I'll start on my research now," he conceded.

The two worked in silence for over an hour, until Professor McGonagall finally arrived at their table last. "And how is your project going?" she questioned, peering down her nose at the two.

"Well, Professor," Helena stated.

"Remind me again of what you decided your project to be?"

"Well, we are working on a spell to transfigure inanimate object to become animate while keeping their same appearance, rather than just making them into an actual animate object," Helena exclaimed.

"That is very interesting, and quite a difficult feat. What caused you to come up with this idea?" Professor McGonagall asked, intrigued.

"Honestly, professor, I came up with the idea from a Muggle fairytale, Beauty and the Beast. The idea is that Belle, the beauty, is trapped in an enchanted castle, with talking pianos, wardrobes, and teacups. They all were humans at one point, before being cursed by the enchantress."

"So you not only want to make it animate but also sentient?"

"Exactly. Like Muggle artificial intelligence."

"Artificial intelligence?" Professor McGonagall questioned.

"You know? Like Robots?"

"No, I don't know. I'd love for you to be able to tell me about this artificial intelligence. Perhaps you can do so over a cup of tea this evening?" she suggested.

"I'd love to, Professor," Helena beamed, excited at the prospect of getting to chat with her former head of house.

"Splendid. I'll see you in my office after dinner, Miss Dumbledore," she affirmed. She turned to Sirius, who was staring at Helena in shock and confusion. "I expect you to contribute to this project, Mr. Black. By next class, I'd like to see a copy of some of your notes. If not, I'll drop your overall grade by ten points." She looked around the class for a moment, ensuring she had visited each table. "Class dismissed," she announced.

* * *

More Info on the phases:

Phase one - this was the prologue and first nine chapters. This set up a lot of the plot that will be expanded upon on phase two.

Chapter ten was the transition to what will be the main plot expanded upon on phase two.

Phase two - this is where this chapter starts. This explores the idea of soulmates, Severus becoming a death eater, and Helena and Sirius starting their friendship.

There will be a another chapter to transition into phase three, which will be a lot like phase one in that it sets up the second point of plot for the series.

Phase four will expand on that plot, and phase five will tie up all the plot lines.

I'll see you soon!


	13. Chapter Twelve

Here is chapter twelve of MHAMS! Thanks for getting me over fifty reviews and one hundred follows! It means so much to me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

_January 17__th__, 1978; The Library, Hogwarts; 7 PM. _

Sirius Black slid into the chair next to Helena with ease, offering a suave greeting to the angry witch. He was already over thirty minutes late to their meeting.

"Nice of you to show up on time, Black," Helena said sarcastically, giving him a pointed glare.

"Well, you know me, Dumbledore. I like to have the element of surprise on my side," Sirius said, smirking at his companion.

"If you really wanted to surprise me, you could always get here when we agreed upon. I would be utterly shocked at the possibility of you being able to tell time."

Sirius did his best to look offended, despite being completely amused. "Has anyone ever told you how charming you are, Helena? Tell me, is that why the great greasy bat is in to you?"

"His name is Severus, Sirius," she corrected.

"Technicality," Sirius said, brushing off her admonishment with a wave of his hand.

Helena rolled her eyes. "Alright," she sighed, letting out a deep breath. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Sirius said, giving a mock salute.

Helena gave him an exasperated look. "Are you incapable of ever being serious?"

"Quite the contrary, actually. I'm always Sirius," he said with a wink. "I'm not really certain why you keep falling for that, love."

"You know, you should really look into changing your name to something more appropriate."

"Like what?" he mused.

"Arrogant Douchebag has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Witty and charming, what a catch! Tell me, what does my soon-to-be cousin-in-law think of those two outstanding traits?" Sirius joked.

Helena reeled back at his question. Logically, she knew he was trying to joke around, but it just reminded her of her impending stay at Malfoy Manor over the Easter Holidays. Uncomfortable, she cleared her throat.

Sirius could sense her unease, and he cursed himself. Every time he seemed to make progress with her, he ended up making a fool of himself. "I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have brought that ponce up. I was just joking around, I swear."

"I know, it's okay," she said quietly. "Perhaps he's the one who should change his name to Arrogant Douchebag."

Sirius chuckled. "Right you are, Dumbledore. I couldn't agree more."

"You know, once he called me obedient," she said, laughing slightly.

"Obedient?" Sirius laughed. "He doesn't know you at all."

"No, I suppose not; though, I'd rather keep it that way."

"Can't say I blame you there," Sirius said, reclining in his chair.

"I mean, honestly, he is truly the very definition of a foul, loathsome cockroach," Helena ranted.

Sirius smiled at her observation. "Do you have to see him often?"

Helena scoffed. "Thankfully, no. But sometimes it is unavoidable. Like Hogsmeade weekends…" Helena trailed off.

"Like Easter hols?" Sirius asked, already knowing the answer.

Helena took in a sharp breath. "How did you know about that?" she questioned accusingly.

"I know a lot of things," he said ominously.

Helena pursed her lips. "I suppose it doesn't really matter. It's not like it was a secret, or anything."

"No, of course not. Why would going to Malfoy Manor, the rumored home to you-know-who himself, be a secret?" Sirius chuckled darkly.

Helena's eyes widened. That was news to her. "You mean," she swallowed nervously. "You-know-who _lives_ at Malfoy Manor?"

"Only sometimes, when he isn't off murdering dozens of people."

"So you think he'll be there over Easter?" she questioned, scared about the implication.

"I'd say there would be a pretty good shot at that," Sirius confirmed.

The two sat in silence as Helena went over the newly-found information in her head.

"Perhaps we should get going?" Sirius questioned, uncertain of himself.

Helena nodded in silence, staring back down at her notes. The two of them didn't get much done that evening.

* * *

_January 18__th__, 1978; Ravenclaw Common Room, Hogwarts; 3 PM. _

Right after classes ended for the day, Helena rushed back to her common room, avoiding Severus' calls of concern. She was supposed to go to their hang-out the previous night, but instead went straight up to her dormitory, not bothering to send an explanation. She wasn't ready to face Severus yet. Had he known that Lord Voldemort would be staying at Malfoy Manor for the whole week they were there? Had he kept that from her? She wasn't certain, and she wasn't ready to find out either. So she acted the coward, opting to avoid Severus entirely. She had been the first of her classmates to make it back, so she sat in a comfortable arm chair by the fire, enjoying the warmth and quiet. She stared into the flames, picking at her wool skirt absentmindedly. She heard the eagle knocker hit the wooden door and held her breath, waiting for the first wave of students to come bumbling into the room, ruining her silence. For a moment, she heard nothing, and thought that perhaps she would have to get up and help some first-years solve the riddle. It really was quite a hard one today.

Just as she stood up, sighing in frustration, she heard a smooth baritone voice say, "Silence." Helena stood with her mouth agape as Severus strode into the Ravenclaw Common Room, shutting the door loudly behind him. "What. Are. You. Doing," he grit out each word, anger radiating off of him like magic.

Helena gave him a shy smile, breaking through his resolve a bit. "Hiding?" she suggested innocently.

Severus sighed in frustration. "Yes, I know that," he said, pinching the bridge of his crooked nose. "But why are you hiding, Helena?"

Helena cast a _muffliato_. "Did you know?" she asked.

"Did I know what, Helena? You're going to have to be more specific," he said, agitated at the witch.

"Did you know that _he_ would be there over Easter?" she accused.

"I thought we went over this already? _He_ wants to meet _you_. Of course he's going to be there."

"I'm not talking about the meeting, Severus. I'm talking about him being there the whole week!" Helena exclaimed.

Severus huffed. "Yes," he confirmned quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Helena asked, hurt from his secret.

"Odds are, we would barely even see him, Helena. He'll be off, doing important things. At most, we'll have to see him at dinner."

"At dinner!" Helena exclaimed. "We'll have to dine with him? It is bad enough I have to be around Lucius, the Primadonna, all damn day, but now I'll have to dine with You-Know-Who? Severus, I did not sign up for this."

Severus took a step towards her. "What's that supposed to mean, Helena? Being the girlfriend of a death eater too much for you?" he said viciously.

Helena reeled back. "Don't be like that, Severus. You didn't tell me the whole truth! You didn't tell me I would have to eat with him for a whole week."

"Helena," he started, taking a calming breath. "You… You can't back out now. You have to come. He will kill me the second I step through the floo without you on my arm, and rest assured, he will come after you too the next time you step a foot out of the bounds of Hogwarts."

Helena rushed to Severus, throwing her arms around his middle. "I don't want to go, Severus," she said, crying miserably into his chest.

Severus pulled her in tight, tucking her head under his chin. "I don't want to go either," he admitted quietly. "I'd much rather spend Easter hols with just you. Who knows, maybe even go with you to America and meet your family," he said hesitantly, afraid she might be opposed to the introduction of her two worlds.

Helena pulled back far enough to look into his eyes, excitement evident on her face. "Do you really mean that, Severus?" she questioned. "You want to meet my family?"

"I do," he nodded. Severus furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "Perhaps, we wouldn't have to stay the whole Easter hols at the Manor," he revealed.

"Really?" she asked. "You think so?"

"I'll have to write Lucius, but if I tell him that your family would like to meet me, perhaps we'd only have to stay there for two or three days."

Helena pressed her lips into Severus', kissing him excitedly. "Oh please! Please write him! We can go to owlery right now! I can write my father and give the letter to Uncle tonight, make sure it's okay, though I don't see why it wouldn't be. He did say he wished I could come home for the week…" she rambled.

Severus shushed her with a kiss. "If you wouldn't mind, I think I'd like to write your father."

Helena beamed up at him. "Be my guest, Severus. But do send my love to him, will you? I miss him terribly," she admitted bashfully.

Severus kissed the top of her head, pulling her tightly into his body. "I will send whatever sentiments you wish, dear."

* * *

_January 18__th__, 1978; Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts; 8 PM. _

Severus knocked confidently on the Headmaster's office door, waiting for permission to enter. He clutched Lucius' reply in his hand, excited to read that the Dark Lord was more than happy to grant them early leave to visit her parents in America. Lucius had written his premature congratulations to their engagement, despite not having alluded his intentions in his letter to Lucius. Severus knew that would be expected of him sometime before their graduation from Hogwarts, but he hadn't talked to Helena too much about it. He cared for her, that much he was sure of. He knew that she loved him, despite her not saying it yet. It really was only a matter of time until she did. It's not that he didn't love her as well. The longer they spent together, the more difficult it was for him to hold onto his emotions. No, he loved her, but not to the same extent she loved him. But their love for each other truly meant nothing if she didn't end up staying after graduation. He was uncertain if she would decide to go back to her tribe at the end of the school year, and he didn't want to be the person to keep her away from her family; however, he did write in his letter to her father his desire to become her betrothed, and asked his permission to give her a sentiment of his intentions. He wiped his sweating palms on his black trousers. Hopefully, that would be enough to satisfy Lucius and the Dark Lord until he was certain she wanted to stay in England.

Suddenly, the door swung open, granting him access to the Headmaster. Severus took a timid step before squaring his shoulders, willing for his confidence to come back. The Headmaster stood in greeting as Severus rounded the last turn on the winding staircase.

"Hello, Mr. Snape. What bring you to my office this evening?" The Headmaster questioned, his eyes twinkling as he beheld the young man in front of him.

"I came hoping that you would be able to deliver a letter for me, Professor," Severus said, extending the freshly addressed envelope.

Professor Dumbledore peered over his half-moon glasses. "Would I be right in my assumption that this is for Helena's father?"

"Yes, Professor," Severus confirmed.

Professor Dumbledore took the letter out of his hand, waving his wand over the seal. "Just a quick diagnosis charm. I'm sure you understand, Severus."

Severus had to keep his eyes from rolling. "Of course, Professor."

The envelope glowed a bright green. "Well, everything checks out. I'll be sure to send this tonight for you, Mr. Snape. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Professor Dumbledore questioned.

Severus' mouth felt dry. "No, Professor. That is all."

"Very well," Professor Dumbledore said, a hint of disappointment in his tone. "You may go."

"Thank you, Professor," Severus said, turning quickly and rushing down the steps.

_January 20__th__, 1978; Somewhere in Oklahoma, USA; 2 AM. _

Gabriel Dumbledore chuckled as he reread the letter he had received from Helena's beau, Severus Snape. He stared at the penmanship, noting the stiff lettering. The boy had been nervous. "_Good_," Gabriel thought. Chameli noticed his smile as she walked into the kitchen, exhausted from finally getting their newborn to sleep.

"What's so funny, my dear?" she asked.

"Here," Gabriel said, offering her the letter. "Read it for yourself."

Chameli took the letter. She gasped when she saw who it was from. "Oh, it's from Helena's Severus!" she exclaimed.

Gabriel laughed quietly. "It is, sweetheart. Go on, read it."

_Dear Mr. Dumbledore, _

_My name is Severus Snape. Helena has assured me that you are aware of my existence, but just to be sure, I thought it would be wise to give you a little bit of information about me. As you already probably know, I attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Helena. I am in Slytherin house, known for its cunning and ambition. I am head of all my classes, but I excel the most in potions. It is the only class that I am sure I will stay top of, as all my others Helena is close behind. I am eighteen years old, a half-blood from Cokeworth, England. My mother was a pure-blood from the Prince family, and my father was a muggle. _

_I will not lie to you. I am in no way worthy of your daughter. I was the first person she met at Hogwarts, and she insisted on being my friend; I barely had a choice in the matter. Neither did I truly have a choice in developing feelings for her. I was completely at her mercy. Though as I already have admitted I am not worthy of her, I assure you I will always endeavor to try. _

_I write you this letter for two reasons; however, before I get into them, Helena had me promise I would send her love to you. She misses you all very much. I know she is anxious to see you soon. Which leads me to the first intention of my letter. As you are aware, Helena had planned to accompany me to a colleague's of mine home for Easter holidays. I know how much she misses home, so I have arranged to have our stay at Malfoy manor to be shorter than planned. We will only be staying there the twenty-fourth through the twenty-sixth. It is my hope that afterwards, we might be able to take an international portkey to visit you all in America. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to meet Helena's family, as well as get to know you all on a personal level. _

_And that, Mr. Dumbledore, is the second and most important reason why I am writing you. It is my intention to marry your daughter, should she have me. She is my best friend, and there is nobody I trust more than her. I wish to have her by my side for the rest of my life. I am not a man born into wealth, and I will have to work my way up in life. But I swear to you, I will take care of her. She will never want for anything. After graduation, I will be attending a Potions Mastery. The pay for potion masters is very high, and it is a prestigious job to have in wizarding Europe. Of course, my mastery will take me two years to complete, and that is with me doing an accelerated program. It is my desire to give her a token of my intent and enter into a betrothal with her. Then, if she still has not seen the worst in me, I would like to marry her when I have completed my course. _

_I would like to give her my token of intent on Valentine's Day. I would greatly appreciate your response before then. _

_I look forward to hearing from you soon. _

_Sincerely, _

_Severus Snape _

"He wants to meet us? He wants to give her a token of intent?" Chameli said, stunned at the contents of the letter.

"He does. He seems to be quite serious about it as well."

"Well, what do you think, Gabriel? Will you agree to it?"

Gabriel rubbed his chin. "I believe Helena is very much so taken with him. She seemed just smitten. I worry that perhaps he doesn't love her like she loves him."

Chameli chucked. "Seems like they have a similar story to us, my dear."

"Perhaps," he started, "but from what Helena told me, it sounded like they were soulmates. It seems rather odd that he wouldn't love her as much as she does him if they were."

"Maybe he loves another as well? Like how you love me."

"Perhaps…" he trailed off. He looked over his young wife, noting the way her tired eyes sagged slightly under the weight of her exhaustion. "Perhaps we should head to bed, and worry about the letter tomorrow."

Chameli let out a long yawn. "I think you are right, my dear."

* * *

Please let me know what you think!

If you are a fan of Dramione, take a look at my one-shot I published a few ago called Out the Front Door.

See you soon!


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